


Just Two More Broken Souls

by WritingCoffeeAddiction



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Dark, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kidnapping, Mild Gore, Suspense, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, dark angst, light humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-12-26 01:07:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingCoffeeAddiction/pseuds/WritingCoffeeAddiction
Summary: One terrifying experience brought a fearful little girl to a secluded gas station. The same little girl whose mother was Lorna Morello. Lorna Morello—the very woman Nicky Nichols recalled lusting over in high school. Was it fate that Nicky was the one to come across the daughter of her former classmate? Lorna/Nicky. (Three-Part story).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the show or characters. All I own is the writing, Antonia, and story.
> 
> Author's Note: I needed to take a little break from Valley of Sorrow and write this three-chapter story. It's an idea I've been pondering over for a while, now, and finally decided to write it. Another dark and angst-filled story, of course. Do feel free to leave reviews and let me know your thoughts on this. Any and all feedback is highly appreciated and cherished. I'll likely start writing the next chapter tomorrow as I hope to get this completed by the end of the weekend or earlier next week. Thanks. Enjoy.
> 
> Warning: There is some, mild, gory detail.

_Just Two More Broken Souls_

Lorna Morello grabbed onto her young daughter, holding her tight against her chest. She smothered the top of her head in loving kisses as tears soaked her pale cheeks. "My precious Antonia," she murmured quietly, so that only her child could hear. A hand ruffled through the long curls that sat upon her head. "I need ya to not come back here after school. Go, go get help. Find someone—anyone who will listen. Ya hear me, baby?"

The curly-haired seven-year-old shook her head violently. Her tiny arms tightened around her mother's neck. Tears poured from her dark brown eyes. "No, mommy. I-I can't leave you," her small voice cried out, almost the same as Lorna's. She nestled closer to her mother's body, fear building heavily in her.

"Ya have to do this. I need ya to, sweetie. I don't want you to get hurt. The mean, scary, man who brought us here—he's gonna try to kill us," Lorna whispered, trying to keep her composure. She hated that her daughter was put into this outrageously terrifying situation. Loathed that either one of them were put into this. But she'd be damned if she ever let anything happen to her little girl.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Lorna pulled the small child closer and embraced her protectively. Trying to soothe away the terror that so clearly shined through her actions. "You needa get outta here, my love. Do it for mommy, okay? I need you to be safe. You're my baby, Antonia, I love ya more than anything in this world…I can't let you get hurt. Please do what I ask;  _please,_  baby."

"B-but, but what-what if I never see ya again, mommy?" The little girl wept, eyes peering widely up at her mother.

It broke her heart to see her daughter cry, to hear the pain and fear in her small voice. She took Antonia's face in her hands and gave a loving kiss to each of her rosy cheeks. "Don't ya worry about that, sweetie. I promise that's not gonna happen. But ya have to get outta here and find help. Get as far away from this place as you can, my angel," she pleaded, rubbing her thumb comfortingly around the little girl's forehead.

"I love you so much, my Antonia. I promise everything's gonna be okay," Lorna whispered, embracing her child snugly against her. She shut her eyes, praying and hoping that her words were true. That her daughter will get to see her again after leaving the house. She couldn't imagine her daughter's suffering through the loss of her. She didn't want her to have to deal with something like that…but that was better than their both losing their lives. At least that was what she told herself to make this easier.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon and Nicky Nichols planned to spend it outside smoking her first pack of cigarettes in almost a week. She craved its gritty texture, its smoky scent. With the cold air breezing through, she found it the perfect combination. She stood outside of the gas station she purchased the pack from, pulled one out, and lighted it with her lighter. The moment she took that first drag, her eyes shut in content. It made her remember exactly why she needed those things. Smoking comforted her—took away any and all of her stresses.

She exhaled a deep, smoky, breath of air and smiled. Seven days without her desirable cigs were torture for her. She didn't know how she made it through. But that hadn't matter now—she had them back in her possession and life could go on as normal. Or that was what she thought until a small figure caught her sight. Seeming to be gradually getting closer.

As the figure grew closer, Nicky quickly found it to be a small child. Rather, a little girl. Her eyebrows arched inquiringly over her big brown eyes. What on earth was a little girl doing running around the middle of nowhere on a Monday afternoon? She thought to herself. Taking one more big drag of the cigarette, she put it out and placed it in the pocket of her jacket before cautiously approaching the child.

She looked her over, immediately noticing how filthy and scratched up she appeared to be.

"What're ya doin' running around all by yourself?" Nicky tried to soften her voice but knew she wasn't the best when communicating with children. Children certainly weren't her cup of tea. But staring this tiny, curly-haired, girl over—there was something different. Something that made her feel...protective? She couldn't quite put a proper explanation to the sensation.

The disheveled child walked closer and looked up at her. Tiny brown eyes glazed with terrified tears. "My mommy," she mumbled through sniffles. Her hands grabbed fiercely onto Nicky's pants, pulling desperately on them. " _My mommy_!"

Uncomfortable, Nicky was almost at loss of what to say—what to do. Clearly, there was something seriously wrong with this little girl. She reached down to place a gentle hand over the curly-haired child's head. "What about your mommy? Is she looking for you? Did ya run away from her or somethin', kid?"

"No," the brunette cried out. "Mommy told me to leave."

Swallowing thickly, the redhead rubbed her temple. She sucked in a breath, not sure what to do about this strange situation. The little girl was blatantly upset and hurt—most likely abused, she deemed. "Mommy told ya to leave? Is mommy mean to you?"

The child rapidly shook her head, though more tears streamed down along her porcelain cheeks. "No. Mommy loves me. She told me to leave—she don't want the mean man to kill me. But-but now he's-he's gonna kill mommy and I-I don't want him to!"

Massaging her temples, Nicky grumbled out a breath. The realization that this child was not going to leave left an uneasy sensation in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't just abandon her. Not when it was clear something awful must have been going on. Another sigh came up through her larynx. She placed a comforting hand on the trembling child's shoulder.

"Did a man take you and your mommy? Who is this mean man?"

Twirling a finger around her dark brown curls, the disheveled young child focused her eyes away from the stranger. She nervously moved her foot around the gravel that rest beneath it. "He's a scary man," her voice shook through a batch of sobs. "I don't—I don't know who he is but he-he chased me and mommy and then p-put us in his car. And-and mommy's stuck there! Sh-she made me leave."

The current situation only seemed to worsen, Nicky thought. How she longed to take another drag of that damn cigarette. But she refrained. Knowing she had no other choice but to somehow find a way to help this blatantly frightened child. She cautiously lay a hand over one of her shoulders, letting her eyes peer heavily into the other's. "Why don't I bring ya with me, yeah? Ya need some medical treatment and I'll call the cops. See if they can find your mom."

"No, I just—please just help me find my mommy!" The young brunette shook her head fiercely. Sobs shaking harshly through her small body. She stood, eyes gazing pleadingly up at the redhead.

Nicky scooped the little girl up, carrying her with her back towards her vehicle. "Ya need to go to the hospital; I don't know what's happened to ya and I'd feel safer taking you to a place where there's doctors. I'll call the police on the way and tell them to find your mom, okay?"

The child frantically peered around at her new surroundings and moved her eyes up towards Nicky. She swallowed uneasily. "You're a  _stranger_ ," the words slipped out of her mouth. Quickly, her body became frigid in the older woman's arms. She was so enthralled in trying to find help for mom that she forgot that she had no idea who the person helping her was. If it was another stranger who planned to take her away.

"I know I am, kid," Nicky responded, softening her features as a way to show that she was not going to do anything other than what she previously mentioned. "But I'm a  _good_ stranger, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna take ya to the hospital to get ya looked at, yeah? Ya wanna tell me your name?"

"Antonia," the curly-haired brunette mumbled, settling into the backseat of the car. She buckled herself in and peeked up towards the front where Nicky was getting in to the driver's seat. "But I like being called Ona."

Turning the key into the ignition, Nicky stared at the young girl through the rearview mirror and gave a kind smile. "A pretty name ya have, Ona. Must be Italian, yeah?"

Antonia shrugged her shoulders and leaned her head exhaustively against the rim of the car window. "Mommy is. I don't know if I am or not. She didn't tell me. I'm gonna ask her when we find her." A yawn expelled from her mouth. She didn't realize how tired she was until she sat down in the back of this stranger's car. Her eyes glanced back to the front. "What's your name?"

The redhead took a moment to lightly chuckle at such a comment. When she finally regained her composure, she turned her head to look intently at the child. "If your mommy's Italian that means you are too, kid. At least half. I'm Nicky," she informed her, noticing the exhaustion that seemed to be easily showing on her face. "It's okay to shut your eyes and rest while I drive ya to the hospital. I promise you're safe here. I'll wake ya when we get there."

* * *

"You found this child in the middle of nowhere?"

Nicky kept her hand held comfortingly over the little girl's shoulder and nodded while gazing up at the middle-aged woman who questioned her with a thick Russian accent. "I'm standing outside a my car, having a cig, and I see her come running from nowhere. Ya ever hear a story like this? Weird," she told the story with eyebrows arched over brown orbs. She still couldn't fully wrap her mind around the events of the last hour.

The nurse carefully checked over the small child with the stethoscope that lay around her neck. Her eyes, however, focused over on the red-haired woman who sat beside the gurney. In the many decades she'd spent as a nurse, she came across plenty of unusual situations—this was no different. "I can assure you this is not the strangest thing I've heard. I'm a nurse almost thirty years now—I've heard it all."

"I bet this makes for an interesting job then, huh?" The redhead inquired with a curved eyebrow.

Shrugging her shoulders slightly, the middle-aged woman kept her mouth closed while finishing looking over the little girl's vitals. She let her eyes peer down at the curly-haired child and wondered how she ended up in such a situation. "What's your name, darling?" The features on her face softened as she studied the little girl's olive-toned face.

"Ona," the brunette little girl muttered, eyes staring blankly ahead.

Arching her eyebrows, the nurse placed her hands on the faintly trembling girl's shoulders and gave her a friendly smile. Children were the purest to ever grace the planet, she deemed. To see them in the hospital always, so heavily, pulled on her heartstrings. "Now, that's a very pretty and unique name. How old are you, Ona?" She allowed one of her hands to brush maternally through the child's brown curls.

Antonia looked up at the nurse with weary eyes. The touch nearly made her flinch. "Seven," she mumbled, turning her gaze away from her. She pulled the sheet closer to her. "I want my mommy. Please find her."

A sympathetic smile, the Russian woman gave an intuitive nod. "What's your mommy's name? Do you know?"

"I hear my aunt call her Lorna. But I'm not allowed to call her that or she gives me the look."

Nicky chuckled at the comment. Though, the name made her skin grow slightly cold.  _Lorna?_  It sounded familiar—like the name of someone she might have run into before. She shrugged her shoulders, however, and focused her attention on the small child. "The look? What look is that?"

"The  _mommy_ look. Every mommy does it, she says. It's not nice to call mommy her name," the little girl answered in a tone that made it seem like the most obvious thing.

Nodding perceptively, the short-haired Russian woman gave a chuckle. It was a true statement. Every mommy did, indeed, give the look. She certainly gave the look to her sons on more than one occasion while they were growing up. "That's right. Your mommy's taught you right. Do you know your last name? That's what'll help the police find her faster."

"I have to write it down every day at school," Antonia answered with the nod of her head. "It's Morello. Like the cherries mommy says."

_Morello_. Lorna Morello sounded eerily familiar. Nicky swallowed thickly. Not someone she talked or spent time with much…but a person she clearly remembered having the most remarkable personality in her high school years. One of the cheeriest— _bubbliest_ —student to grace the school. No one ever had a problem with her…or, at least, not that Nicky knew of.

"Aha," she said, holding a finger up. "I  _knew_  ya were Italian."

The curly-haired child slightly smiled in return, brown eyes looking up into the older woman's.

It was not often that Nicky felt anything towards a child other than pure irritation. But this little girl—there was something different about her. Something that made her want to do whatever she could to help her. To take care of her until her mother was found and brought back to her. "I promise ya, kid, we'll find your mommy. Do ya remember anything about where ya were at?" A hand she used to ruffle through the little girl's thick curls.

Shaking her head, a slight pout began to form at the corners of Antonia's mouth. The same way her mother's had when she cried over her deceased husband. "I don't know. I just—I want my mommy," she sniffled lightly.

"I'm gonna give the name to the police and that should help them. Don't worry, honey, they'll find her. I know it's scary to be here all alone," the nurse murmured, framing her hands delicately around her quivering cheeks. She used her thumb to softly wipe away the tears that soaked the pale flesh. "I'll stay with you if you want. I have three sons…couldn't imagine them being in this situation as young children."

Sitting in the chair beside the gurney, Nicky covered her hand comfortingly over top of Antonia's tiny one. She stared down at her with a somber expression. "I'm staying right here with ya, too."

Looking sadly down at her hands, Antonia shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes averted, ever-so-slightly, up at the nurse. "What's your name?"

"Red," she replied with a friendly smile. The tips of her fingers ran soothingly back and forth around the child's forehead—a motion she used to do to her own children as a way to put them at ease.

Nodding, the young girl felt a rush of exhaustion suddenly set in. She could hardly keep her eyes open. They began to droop but she refused to shut them until her mother was brought to her. She couldn't sleep without knowing her mommy was safe.

Brushing her thumb in gentle circles around her hand, Nicky looked down at her with a foreign softness emanating through her big brown orbs. "Let yourself sleep, kid. I'm sure your mommy would want ya to rest, yeah? We'll wake ya if anything changes… don't worry," she gently assured, continuing the soothing motion around her hand's flesh until she heard her breaths labor.

Red moved her eyes from the little girl up to Nicky. She gave a warm smile. "I take it you have kids yourself?"

With a chortle, Nicky rapidly shook her head. A mother was something she wasn't—something she didn't have any desire to be. After growing up under Marka Nichols' care, she vowed to never become pregnant. And, realizing her homosexuality in middle school, she never had to worry about such a thing. A relief to say the least. "Sure as hell don't—never really cared for them."

Arching her eyebrows surprisingly, the Russian nurse tilted her head slightly. "You seem so natural at comforting her, I'da never guessed."

"That's a shocker," Nicky muttered with a snicker. "Considering my own mother didn't do a damn thing to raise me. I guess some women are born without a maternal instinct, yeah?"

The comment all but broke Red's heart. How could a mother not want to show her child love and affection? A concept she could never comprehend or wrap her mind around. Her three boys were her world. She'd walk on glass for them. Die for them. It was just the unsaid rule of being a mother, she thought. But maybe that wasn't the case for all mothers.

"I'm sorry to hear that. That hurts my heart to hear—I would do anything for my kids…"

Nicky shrugged her shoulders with an empty smile. She was used to it. Learned to accept that her mother would never love her the way a mother was supposed to love her child. "It's all under the water now. I've survived. I don't dwell on it. I have a new life now."

"Well, good for you. It takes a strong person to get through life with a cold mother." Red smiled sympathetically, placing a comforting hand over the redhead's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

* * *

Everything hurt. That was the first thought that ran through Lorna's mind when she awoke. Every inch of her body ached. It was as if she ran a marathon in the scorching heat with a dozen elephants trampling over her body. Almost unbearable. She blinked rapidly before looking perplexingly around the room. Where was Antonia? The second thought that scampered around in her head. She tried to sit up but realized that only caused her more pain.

"No, no, no," a voice quickly muttered. "Don't try to move. Ya needa stay still; you have a bullet in your chest and we're on the way to the hospital. Moving will cause the bullet to move and we can't risk that."

Squinting her eyes, Lorna looked up at who spoke to her. A tall, slender, woman with long deep-black hair and a seemingly stern face hovered overtop of her. She moved her head carefully to search her surroundings and quickly took notice that she wasn't in the house anymore…rather she was lying on a gurney in a rapid-moving ambulance.

She felt a batch of tears form at the brim of her eyes. Her head returned to its original position, orbs now peering up into the unfamiliar woman's. "I needa find my daughter," she cried out. "I needa find my daughter." Against the other's advice—and mostly filled with adrenaline—Lorna tried again to sit up but felt the pressure of the woman's hands stop her.

"Ya have to lay still," she reminded her. Her blue orbs softened as they looked down at the petite brunette. "Police are already looking for her. Right now ya needa worry about yourself. You're in bad shape right now."

Lorna shook her head profusely and continued to try to defy the instructions. She tried for a third time to push herself up but found that the other woman's hold on her was too strong. "I'm fine…all that matters is my daughter.  _Please_ , she's only seven and-and I told her to go get help."

Using one hand to hold her down, the black-haired paramedic let the other one stroke soothingly across the flesh of her forehead. "You're not fine at all. You were shot in the chest and if ya move, you could die. I need you to lay still. If you want your little girl to see you then ya have to stay still for me. I promise the police are looking for her right now."

_You could die._  The words only worsened Lorna's agony. She shook her head violently, eyes full of terror and pain. Her daughter needed her. Death was not allowed. Sobs gradually began to expel from her lungs. "I- _I can't die_.  _Please, please_ …I can't die. My baby—she already lost her daddy…she can't lose me too."

"Shh," the older woman tried to soothe, keeping a tight grip on her. "Just lay still, sweetie, and you'll be okay. You have to calm down. I know you're upset, confused, and worried…but the more worked up you get the worse off ya are."

Tears soaking the flesh of her cheeks, Lorna sniffled and tilted her head down to get a glance at her chest. She couldn't make out much but what she could, it sickened her. A large breath came out of her mouth. She looked back up at the woman. "Why, why can I see inside my-my chest? I-I thought ya said I was only shot?" The worry only continued to grow.

"Okay, calm down please. I know this doesn't look good.  _I know_  but ya have to calm down. I didn't wanna make ya feel worse…but the person who shot you also used a knife to cut ya here."

"Calm down?  _Calm down?_   _How the hell_  can I calm down when I'm this close to being dead and my daughter's god-only-knows where? Can you at least tell me who you are?" The brunette questioned, however, her voice becoming more and more breathy.

Using her fingers to massage gently into both of the shoulders her hands were covering, the paramedic sighed. One of the hardest jobs was to helplessly watch a dying person realize her fate. Those were the patients who haunted her sleep. Who impacted her beyond words. She hoped and prayed this didn't end up the same way. "My name's Alex Vause, I'm a paramedic."

She stroked a hand comfortingly through her dark brown waves. "You wanna live so staying calm is your best option. Just breathe, yeah? Don't think about anything else. Focus on breathing for me."

"Do, do ya think I'll live?"

The question felt like a ton of bricks weighing down on her. One of the questions she loathed answering. She pushed aside her feelings and gave a warm smile down at the young woman. "Of course. You're going to the right place. You're in good hands, don't worry."

Craving some sort of physical contact, Lorna moved her hand up to grab hold of the paramedic's and squeezed it deathly tight. "Will you be with me when we get to the hospital?" Her eyes gazed desperately up into lighter ones.

"I can't stay…I have to report to other emergencies, sweetie. I'm sorry," Alex murmured softly, her orbs faintly glazing over. She swallowed thickly. It wasn't smart to form an emotional bond towards a patient…but this young woman made that difficult. She sucked in a breath and used a thumb to wipe at her tears.

Lorna only tightened her grip on the hand she held. "I don't wanna be alone," she whispered.

That was all she needed for her tears to start rolling. This patient was one of those. One that would haunt her for the rest of her life if she didn't make it. If she didn't stay with her after to see what happened. She tilted her head slightly, looking the small brunette over with compassionate eyes. To see how utterly frightened she was broke her heart tremendously. She couldn't leave her in a state like this. If this was the end, she needed someone by her side. Even if that someone was a complete stranger.

"I'll see what I can do, okay? I don't want you to be alone either. But I'll have the hospital try to locate your family and daughter. Can you tell me your name, sweetie?"

Staring blankly ahead out the window of the back door, the petite brunette silently sniffled. Trying to keep herself together somehow. Attempting to comprehend how she got into this fatal situation. How she put her daughter's life at risk. It all made for a huge lump to sit in the back of her throat. "Lorna Morello. My daughter's name is Antonia. Do the police know that? How are they gonna find her without knowing her name?"

The tall paramedic nodded and grabbed her pager from the pocket of her pants. She relayed the information through to the local hospital they were headed towards before averting her attention back on the distressed patient. "They will soon enough. I just informed the chief of the hospital what ya told me. At least ya know your daughter wasn't there when the person started shooting, yeah? That should give ya some piece of mind," she assured, trying to keep her as calm as possible.

"I wouldn't been able to live with myself if that happened. I knew he was planning to kill us…that's why I made her leave to get help. At least for herself. Do ya…do ya think maybe she's at the hospital? Maybe someone found her and brought her there?" Her brown eyes stared up with a hopefulness shining through.

"That's a possibility. We'll see when we get there."

Looking the small woman over with sympathy, Alex grew slightly curious of her situation. She never had encountered a patient who was almost murdered in a kidnapping. "Did ya know the man?" On the plus side, she hoped talking about it might keep the young girl's mind off the pain and fact that she had a gaping hole in her chest.

Lorna shut her eyes at the inquiry.  _Did she know the man?_  More than she wanted to, she thought. "Unfortunately," she whispered after reopening her eyes. She stared down at the sheet that cover her lower body and caught a glimpse of dried up blood. The sight made her inwardly flinch. She hated to see blood. "He was my boyfriend in high school…but, but then I met my daughter's father and fell in love. Obviously, he never got over that."

Slowly moving a strand of hair from over the young woman's eyes, the paramedic only nodded her head attentively. She silently reminded herself it wasn't appropriate to get emotionally invested in any patient's story. But it was hard not to. Not when the patient was seemingly on her death bed desperately clinging to her—both metaphorically and literally.

"God, that's horrible," she muttered with the shake of her head. "What was the purpose of him kidnapping both you and your daughter?"

"I-I don't know." Suddenly the pain started to overpower the adrenaline. Lorna felt waves of sharp throbbing in her chest; she instinctively let out a piercing scream. It was something she'd never experienced before in her life. An agonizing pain she couldn't explain. Almost as if she was being stabbed all over again but this time while aware of her surroundings.

Tears swarmed from her eyes. It was an unbearable, excruciating, sensation. "I-I-I can't, can't b-b-breathe," her voice croaked through heavy sobs. Her breathing grew harder and deeper. She gripped tighter onto the other's hands—a gesture to keep her from fading away. She didn't want this to be the end. It  _couldn't_.

Alex used her free hand to lay soothingly against the flesh of her forehead and brushed her fingers slowly back and forth in an effort to comfort her somehow. "We're almost to the hospital," she murmured in a hushed voice, keeping her eyes on Lorna's. "As soon as we get there, you'll get better pain medication. The kind we have here is shit, honestly."

* * *

" _Mommy?_ "

Lorna felt her eyes flutter open at the small voice of her daughter. She searched the room and found the very girl sitting in a chair on the side of her bed. Her pale cheeks were damp with tears, eyes red and puffy from the obvious crying she'd done. Lorna swallowed thickly, her throat dry and scratchy, and reached her hands out to place onto the little girl's face. She wiped lovingly at her tears.

"Mommy," Antonia repeated with a teary smile. She scooted the medal chair closer and wrapped her tiny arms around her mother's neck. To finally be reunited came as a relief to the small child. Her mother was everything to her—she couldn't lose her. "Are you hurt?"

Hurt was a bit of an understatement Lorna deemed. But having her daughter safe and sound in her arms was enough to keep her mind off the throbbing ache in her chest. She cradled her hands comfortingly around the child's head, brushing a maternal kiss against her forehead. "I'll be okay, sweetheart," she murmured, her voice much hoarser and raspier than usual.

"How are you? Ya didn't get hurt, did ya my love?"

Shaking her head, the curly-haired seven-year-old nuzzled her face into the crook of her mother's neck. Needing the closeness after the events of today. The ordeal that nearly ripped their lives apart. "I just was scared for you, mommy."

Encircling her arms protectively tight around her little girl, Lorna pressed a tender kiss atop her head. Nothing was more precious to her than having her baby cradled against her. She ran a hand gently through the thick dark curls that made up Antonia's head of hair. "Who brought you here, hon?"

Lifting her head slightly, Antonia pointed her finger over at the redhead woman who watched the heartwarming reunion from the doorway. "She did—her name's Nicky and she stayed with me until we found you," she informed her, a faint smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Hi," the woman waved from her spot, smiling warmly at the two. Seeing Lorna Morello in the flesh only confirmed the familiarity the name struck with Nicky. That was indeed the same girl she saw every day in high school. The petite brunette with the effervescent charisma and a smile so bright that it could blind a room full of people.

Pulling her daughter closer, Lorna gave a grateful smile in return. "Thank you for looking after my little angel and gettin' her help."

Nicky shook her head and threw up a hand. "Don't worry about it, kid. I wasn't gonna just abandon a little girl in the condition she was," she assured, slowly making her way in the room. The fact that Lorna didn't seem to recognize her hadn't come as a shock. The two never even exchanged words before in school—no, Nicky just secretly lusted over the pretty little brunette after acknowledging her sexuality. And, now, was slightly thankful she hadn't tried to pursue anything with her…to know that she had a daughter only proved that Lorna was straight.

"We went to the same high school. I don't know if ya remember or not but I do. When Ona told Red and me your name, I knew there was something familiar about it."

Hearing her daughter's nickname formed a smile on Lorna's face. She ran her hand lovingly through the dark brown curls. "Hmm, we did? I try not to think about my high school days. And who's Red—was she with ya when ya found my daughter?"

"Red's the nurse, mommy. She's real nice," Antonia interjected, snuggling closer and feeling her eyes get heavy. Her mother's arms could always so easily lull her to sleep, and this was no different.

"I don't think we ever talked or anything but I remember seeing you in a lotta my classes. Ya always seemed so happy."

Giving a soft kiss to her sleeping child's head, Lorna sighed and looked down at the sheets that covered her body. She used her smile to cover up how she truly felt all through those years. It wasn't a topic she liked discussing. Swallowing uncomfortably, Lorna drew a circle around the fabric beneath her with one of her fingers. "I'm a naturally happy person, I guess."

Nicky arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? You don't look happy right now. I mean I guess given the situation, that would make sense. But if ya were really happy in high school, ya wouldn't not wanna think about it."

"Ya don't even know me and you're tryna get me to tell ya some big dark secret you think I have? Real subtle there, Nicky. But the thing is there ain't one. I'm just in a lotta pain right now because I got shot in the heart—it's been a day," Lorna muttered exhaustively.

With a light-hearted smirk, the redhead just shrugged her shoulders and eyed the brunette suspiciously. "I can read people easily, kid. I'll let it slide for now…you need your rest and time with that sweet little girl a yours. Let me tell ya I'm not a big fan a kids but Ona, there's something special about her. And damn, she looks just like you."

Tightening her arms around the sleeping little girl, Lorna scrunched up her nose at the comment. Let it slide for now? What did that imply? It wasn't like the two would ever see each other again. "What do ya mean let it slide for now? I doubt we'll ever see each other after this. I mean I'll always be grateful to ya for keeping her safe but I think this is it."

"Believe me, we'll see each other again. I'd like to get to know ya—I always wanted to be friends with ya in high school but never got around to doing anything about that. So why not now? There's gotta be a reason I was the one to find your daughter, yeah?"

"Ya think it was fate? Maybe. Right now I just wanna sleep—I'm exhausted," Lorna admitted, the past two nights of no sleep finally catching up to her as her eyes began to droop.

Nicky nodded and grabbed a tissue from the box that rest on the moveable tray. She took a pen out of her satchel and scribbled down her phone number, walking over to hand it gently to the frail brunette. "Yeah, ya look it kid. Here's my number—don't be afraid to text it, yeah? I'll leave ya to rest. I hope to hear from you when you're feeling better. Take care, kid. Not just of little Ona but of yourself, too."

Watching the mysterious woman exit her hospital room, Lorna held on tight to the tissue. When the door shut, she peered down at the number scribbled in blue ink. Maybe this was the beginning of a turning point in she and Antonia's lives. She hoped that was what this meant. The sound of the door's reopening brought her away from her thoughts.

She gave a tired smile at the lengthy paramedic who quietly made her way in the room. "Thank you," she softly whispered.

"For what?" The black-haired woman inquired with inquisitive eyebrows. She stood at the side of the bed, looking her methodically over. It was a miracle she was lying in this bed alive.

Lorna waved her arms around. "For this…for saving my life."

Touching a thumb softly to her forehead, Alex shook her head with a chuckle. "I didn't do that—the doctors did. I'm glad ya survived…I really wasn't sure if ya would make it. I mean it's not often I see a patient with their heart visible and live through that. Quite a story to tell your daughter, yeah?"

"You kept me from moving…and ya said if I did, I woulda died. So yes  _you did_  save my life." Lorna felt her eyes fluttering from a mixture of the fading anesthetic and plain fatigue. "What're ya doing here? I thought ya had to go to other emergencies?"

"I just helped bring in another patient so I decided to check in. Had to make sure you lived, woulda haunted me if I didn't find out. You look pretty tired, though. I'll stop by another day when you're better rested and not in excruciating pain. Take care and follow your doctor's order, sweetie. Ya don't wanna pop a staple, believe me. That shit's painful."

* * *

Nicky immediately pulled out a cigarette the minute she entered her shared apartment. She needed it after the day she had. Taking a long drag, she exhaled blissfully while throwing off her shoes. Loud music blaring from the living room quickly caught her attention. She held the cigarette between two fingers, at her side, while walking through the archway to find the culprit.

What she entered into made her eyes roll out of irritation. She took another drag of her cig and puffed out a rather loud breath. "Why is Barb here?" The question directed towards her blonde-haired girlfriend in a frustrated tone. Just what she needed to come home to after a long day, she inwardly groaned.

"What? This is my place too, Nicky—I'm allowed to invite my own mother over whenever the hell I please. Besides, what the fuck room do ya have to talk? You were gone all day. I needed somethin' to keep me busy," the blonde edgily replied, throwing her hands up in defense.

Nicky rolled her eyes, plopping down on the couch and glaring darkly at her. "Yeah? Your drug-addicted mother who keeps pushing drugs on us? Ya really think this is a smart idea, Lisa? Ya know what I don't even have it in me to care right now," she held a hand up, everything in her drained from all the activity.

"I just spent the majority of my day in the hospital. Found a little girl while I was out getting gas and turned out she and her mom were kidnapped…her mom also happens to be Lorna Morello. Ya remember her?"

"Isn't that the little slutty girl ya always complained about?" Barb interrupted with a chuckle, her eyes looking over at Analisa with intrigue. While awaiting confirmation, she snorted the white powder she held in her hands through a straw.

Irritation only grew stronger. Nicky's eyes widened as they gave a dark look over towards the straggly-haired brunette and her girlfriend who sat beside her. She hoped that wasn't the truth. "Your mom's lying, yeah? You don't have a problem with Lorna, right? I mean she never did a thing to anyone," she pointed out.

Forcing a smile to her face, Analisa stiffly nodded her head. Even though she knew her mother was telling the truth. She couldn't stand that Lorna Morello. Even more so when she realized Nicky seemed to have a little crush on her all through high school and apparently now as well. She didn't like that one bit. And vowed to do something about it. Something that would actually get rid of Lorna for good, seeing that the  _first_  plan didn't do that.

"Lorna has a daughter, huh? And you just so happened to be the one to find her? Wow, that's  _some_ luck. Thank God they're okay," she said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Barb stifled a laugh at the obvious acting on her daughter's behalf. She knew how far from the truth it was for her to actually be grateful that woman's alive. The countless times Analisa would walk in the door of their apartment in a rage, plotting to somehow murder Lorna Morello. Yeah, right, she wanted the woman gone and she knew her daughter would do anything to get exactly what she desired. One way or another Lorna Morello was likely going to be forever neutralized.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

It took two long, tedious, weeks for Lorna to recover enough to be granted a discharge from the hospital. When the day finally came she couldn't be happier. She called her sister and took off with her daughter back to their apartment. The drive only took ten minutes—when they arrived, she quickly assisted her daughter out from the booster seat in the back and the two made their way inside.

That first step inside their home was a long-awaited moment for Lorna. She took a second to shut her eyes and just take it all in. It was a miracle she and her daughter were standing in this place alive. Not many people survived a kidnapping like the pair of them did, she knew. Hell, not many people survived getting shot and stabbed in the chest the way she thankfully had. It was highly evident that luck was on their side.

"Mommy, are ya gonna talk to Nicky?"

Her daughter's surprising question rapidly brought Lorna from her thoughts. She blinked her eyes and looked down at the curly-haired girl with a soft chuckle. She lay a hand over her head, ruffling the curls. "What makes ya ask that, hon?"

Antonia took her shoes off and followed her mother into the living room, sitting beside her on the sofa. She rested her head on her shoulder and poked a finger on her cheek. "I think she wants you to. She visited us a lot while we were there. Plus, she's real nice and funny," she pointed out with a tiny giggle. A sound that always warmed her mom's heart to hear.

"You're real smart for a little girl, aren't ya?" Lorna smiled, encircling her daughter in her loving arms. Lips pressed a delicate kiss over the flesh of her forehead. "We'll see, Ona. Right now I don't have time—or energy—to be doing anything but looking after you. I'm still in a good amount a pain after that incident. Doctor wants me to just rest for a few weeks."

The little girl nodded with a slight frown. She lifted her head to peer intensely up into her mother's dark orbs. "How did you get hurt, mommy? I didn't—I didn't help you, did I?"

Cupping her hands gently around the small child's face, Lorna stared compassionately down into her eyes. It made the throbbing in her healing wound slightly worsen to hear the pain in her little girl's voice. She pressed a soothing kiss to each of her pale cheeks. "Ya helped me by not getting yourself in the situation I was in, my love. I'm glad it's me who got hurt and  _not_  you."

She sighed while placing Antonia's head on her lap. Her hands stroked comfortingly through her long brown curls. Telling her daughter what happened wasn't going to benefit either of them, she thought. A seven-year-old didn't need to know her past, anyway. She forced a smile to her face and responded with, "All that matters now is we're both safe and sound back in our home."

"But what about the man who took us? Where is he mommy?" Ona shakily inquired, her eyes looking frantically up into her mom's. She feared that something like that might happen again and she knew that wasn't an event she wanted to relive.

"Don't ya worry, sweetheart," Lorna soothed, caressing a finger tenderly around the flesh of her forehead. "The police took him away to jail. He'll never be able to hurt either of us again. I promise, baby."

* * *

A brisk morning it was the next day when Lorna saw Antonia off to her bus for school. She kept her hands in her coat pocket the whole way back to her apartment after watching to make sure her daughter was out of the cold. Closing the door behind her, she went over to the coffee pot and took out the used filter and replaced it with a new one. Another round of coffee was a must she deemed with a yawn escaping her.

While it percolated, she took the time to do some minor tidying up. It was a task that kept her busy—kept her at ease when her mind seemed to be spinning in a hundred different directions at once. She swept the floor, dusted counter tops, and cleaned the bathrooms all in the span of ten minutes. The ache in her chest reminded her that she needed to stop. It was challenging to keep herself from not doing too much—she liked her home clean.

She walked back into the kitchen and took a mug out of its designated cabinet. Creamer and Splenda were generously put into it before the dark, hot, liquid was poured in. She mixed it with a spoon, carrying it to the table to sit down with. The first sip made her taste-buds sing in pleasure. She sighed and took out the tissue—that she still kept with her—from her pocket. The number still there in blue ink. She used her finger to outline each of the ten digits. Pondering whether to send a text to her or not. On one hand, she thought it might be nice to have a person to talk to who wasn't her seven-year-old child. But she also felt slightly weary of this Nicky woman.

With another long sip of coffee, Lorna reached for her phone and, with slightly shaky hands, typed in the number and name to her contacts. She stared for a silent minute before pressing on the messaging app. A deep breath in. She awkwardly started typing a quick message with her fingers— _Hey, Nicky. This is Lorna Morello. You gave me your number in the hospital and said to text you so that's what I'm doing. :)—_ and spent another long moment reading and rereading it. Deciding on erasing the smiley face before clicking send.

It wasn't long until she received a response. She felt her phone buzz against the wood of the table. Bracing herself, she picked up her mug and took a rather large sip of the bold beverage. She entered the code for her phone before reading over the message she received. Which read;  _I did, didn't I? ;) How are ya, kid? Wanna meet for coffee today?_

Sucking in a large breath of air, Lorna decided to accept such offer. It'd be good to get out of the house for a little while, she told herself. Plus, it gave her an ample excuse to enjoy another coffee. Coffee had the power to entice her to do anything it seemed. So, after replying back with a yes, she quickly finished her home-brewed cup and went to ready herself in the bathroom.

* * *

"Who are ya textin' and why ya got that big smile on your face for?"

Chucking her phone back into the pocket of her jacket, Nicky looked over at her girlfriend with a light shrug of her shoulders. The slight edginess to her tone made her eyebrows arch inquisitively over her eyes. " _What?_  I can't just smile because I'm happy." Ever since she mentioned the incident with Lorna and her daughter, tension seemed to rise in their relationship. It didn't make any bit of sense to her. They both had their own friends—what was wrong with her wanting to talk to Lorna?

Annalisa folded her arms defensively over her chest while giving a heated look to the redhead. "Who are you texting? Is that why you're all happy and shit?"

"What're you getting all worked up about? I'm texting a friend, big deal. Not like you don't text yours all the time, yeah?"

Gritting her teeth in a building fury, the blonde tapped her hand against her leg. "What friend? Is it that damn Lorna Morello?"

Tilting her head, Nicky gave a heated glance back. She folded her arms over her own chest at that point. Not understanding what her girlfriend had against her. Her shoulders bounced up and down. "So what if I am? What's your beef with her, huh? She's a sweet girl—why are ya so pissy when her name is brought up?"

"I don't have no beef with her," Annalisa muttered, looking away and glaring ahead at the wall. Oh, how she yearned to get rid of that little Morello once and for all. And her little girl too, she thought. She swallowed hard and pushed a fake smile to her face. "What're the two ya talking about? Why don't ya invite her over so we can catch up with her?"

Nicky eyed her skeptically, not sure of this drastic change in her attitude. "I told her to meet me for coffee in an hour. That coffee shop right down the road. I guess you can come along if ya want," she sighed at the possible new arrangement. She just wanted to spend the time in Lorna's company. To get to know her without her nosy girlfriend trying to pry into her business.

"Oh? You were planning to do this and not tell me? Of course I'm coming. I have to see how Lorna is after that  _terrible_ accident. That's just  _so, so_  awful. I used to talk to her in high school…wow, I just don't get how someone could hurt that nice,  _nice_ , girl."

* * *

Snow flew in the air as Lorna walked down the block to the coffee shop she was meeting Nicky at. It made for a scenic route but had her eyes water and cheeks flush red. Winter was her most-dreaded season for that particular reason. She hurried along until she finally came the proper building, jogging her way inside to get out of the bitter cold. She looked around the room in search of the redhead but found that she beat her there.

To make the time pass, she decided to get in line to purchase a coffee. The smell was strong. It hit her nose the second she stepped inside. There were only a couple people in front so it was not long before she was standing in front of the cashier's counter. She looked up at the menu behind the person, trying to figure out what she desired. "Hmm," she softly muttered, "I think I'll just have the vanilla cappuccino."

The woman working the register nodded and keyed it into the screen. She looked over at Lorna with a friendly smile and read her the total, "That'll be three dollars and fifty cents. Would ya like anything else?"

Taking a peak at the lighted-counter that had pastries, Lorna caught eye of one she knew her daughter enjoyed and sighed. She nodded and pointed her finger over at the very treat. "I'll get one a those chocolate cake-pops. My daughter loves those…it'll be a good treat for her after a long school day, I think."

The clerk nodded with a smile, adding that to the order. "My sons love them, too. I always gotta bring a couple home with me after I get off." She averted her eyes back to the screen and looked for the new price. "Now your total is five dollars. Ya want the receipt?"

Lorna smiled back and shook her head. Resting her purse on the countertop, she dug in her purse for some cash. After handing it across to her, she waited while the short-haired brunette gathered her items. When the hot cup and bag were handed to her, she placed the securely wrapped treat into her purse and stared back up at the cashier. "Thank you," she read the name on her nametag, "Gloria. I hope the resta your day goes by quick for ya."

She cupped both hands around the plastic cup and searched for a good spot to sit. Choosing a little table that outlooked a bay-window. She sat down in the chair that faced the window and watched while people strolled past. A smile formed—she always enjoyed people watching. She sipped her cappuccino, waiting for the arrival of her new acquaintance.

The bell above the door rang signaling to her that someone new had enter inside. She slightly turned her head to find the very redhead she'd been waiting for…along with another, taller, woman. One who wore her blonde hair short and frizzy with what appeared to be a scowl on her face. She swallowed uncomfortably, sensing an unusual vibe. The girl seemed strangely familiar to her but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Hey, kid," Nicky waved with a smile. She walked over and wrapped her arms around her in a quick friendly embrace. "Ooh, what kinda coffee did ya get?" She walked around to sit in the chair opposite.

Annalisa watched the exchange with a rage firing underneath her skin. But forced a smile to her face as she quickly plopped herself down in the chair Lorna had once claimed. She faked her shock when she realized there wasn't a third chair. "Aw, shucks, there's not enough chairs. Looks like you'll have to go find one, huh?" Her blue orbs pierced darkly ahead into Lorna's. The same petite woman she remembered tormenting all through high school. Just thinking about it brought a smirk to her face. How she missed those days.

Having watched the entire thing, Nicky gave a glare to her girlfriend and threw up her hands. "What the hell was that for? You know damn well she was sitting there…why would ya take her seat?" She shook her head in disappointment and turned to stare sympathetically at the dumbfounded brunette. "Have my seat, kid. I'll go get another one. Besides, I gotta get a coffee anyway. No big deal. I'll be right back."

It was too perfect, the blonde thought. She rubbed her hands together under the table and smirked while staring across at the brunette. "Remember me? We went to high school together,  _Lorna_."

"I mean ya look kinda familiar but it's been a while. What's your name?" Lorna shifted uncomfortably in her chair while focusing her eyes down on her cup of coffee. She tapped her finger rhythmically against the plastic.

Shaking her head, Annalisa snorted a laugh. "Wow. I'm surprised ya don't remember. I shoved ya into lockers all the time…tripped you dozens of times in the cafeteria and made ya fall and spill your food all over the place. You don't remember that? Really?"

Lorna bit the bottom of her lip and slowly nodded. The memories were still there. No matter hard she pushed them away, they always found their way back to haunt her. " _Annalisa_ ," she quaveringly whispered, feeling a lump form in the pit of her stomach. The person who made her dread waking up every morning during her teen years. "You did a lot more than just that. Why-why are you here? I-I thought I was just meeting Nicky."

"Oh,  _I know_. And there's even more I have in store for ya now that I know you're making friends with  _my_  girlfriend. You think I'm gonna let you have any amount of time alone with Nicky, do ya? Ain't happening, little Morello."

Legs slightly trembling beneath her, Lorna gulped. Maybe this was a sign that she shouldn't be friends with Nicky. Not if it meant she'd have to face her former bully once more. She knew she couldn't go through all that shit again. Especially now that she was a mother. She didn't have the time for this kind of stuff. "Look I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just—Nicky said I can text her whenever. She asked me to come have coffee with her and talk. If ya think I'm looking to do anything, you're wrong. Okay, I'm not…I'm not gay. I have a daughter."

Annalisa subtly gave her the finger by using her middle finger to itch her eyes. "Yeah? Well, it don't matter. I'm not leaving. Ya wanna spend time with my girlfriend, you're gonna see me. Got a problem with that? Leave."

Lorna kept her mouth shut and sunk into her seat. She shook her head and focused her eyes anywhere that wasn't the blonde. It was a great relief when the sound of a chair screeching against the floor filled her ears. She looked up and found Nicky's sitting down in between the two of them with a coffee of her own.

The tension wasn't hard for Nicky to miss. She could easily read the fear that Lorna so desperately tried to hide. Her eyes moved over to her girlfriend and she sighed. "Ya gonna go get a coffee? They have those caramel iced coffees ya like," she tried to entice her to leave…even for just five minutes. She was grateful when the blonde reluctantly left the table to go stand in the line.

"I'm sorry," she started, focusing back on Lorna now that they were alone. "She insisted on coming. Wanted to see how ya were after I told her about how I ran into you."

"It's okay. Maybe another time?"

Nicky arched her eyebrows and tilted her head. "What? Are ya planning on heading out, kid? Please don't. You don't have to leave… _I invited you_."

Lorna sighed. She felt conflicted on what to do. On one hand she wanted to stay, enjoy her coffee and get to know the mysterious woman who asked her here—yet, on the other, she didn't want to be in Annalisa's wrath for a second time. She barely survived it the first…no way she'd survive another. "I just—I feel like I'm intruding. I don't wanna cause any trouble is all," she muttered.

"Hey, if anyone's intruding it's my girlfriend. What did she say to ya, huh? Did she say something to make ya feel that way? Ya look a little pale there, kid."

Reaching for her cup, Lorna held it snug between her two hands and brought it up to her lips for a decent sip. She shook her head. "She didn't say a thing. I just…she and I were never on good terms in school. She kinda liked to pick on me a lot is all. So it's a little strange being around her now, ya know? I'll just head out and we can get together another time, how's that? Maybe you can stop over my place sometime and see Ona," she suggested with a kind smile. "Ona was actually the one who gave me the courage to finally contact you. She says you're real funny and nice."

Nicky's facial features softened at the comment. She folded her arms over her chest and gave an intense stare to the brunette. "What did she do? God, ya gotta be kidding me. I shoulda realized she was lying to me when she'd get irritated over hearing your name," she muttered, shaking her head. "You're uncomfortable around her, yeah? She musta done some real bad shit to make ya this scared just to be in the same room as her. I'm so sorry."

Holding her hand up, Lorna waved it. "Doesn't matter. I just—I'm gonna head out. I'm sorry. I was looking forward to getting some time outta the house and spending time with another adult for once…but no, I can't be around her. And I really don't wanna cause any trouble here."

Sighing, Nicky bit the side of her mouth to hide her anger. She couldn't believe this other side of her girlfriend. Her eyes gazed sadly over at the clearly perturbed brunette. She reached over a placed a comforting hand over top of hers. "No, don't be sorry. I don't want ya to be uncomfortable. We'll get together another time…without Lisa. I promise."

Annalisa returned seconds later with her own drink. Seeing that Lorna appeared to be getting ready to leave immediately had a smirk form on her face. "Aw, are ya leaving so soon? That's just too bad, Lorna. Here, I'll walk ya to the door," she offered, placing her cup on the table and grabbing a bit roughly on Lorna's arm. She pulled her along to the front of the shop and yanked open the door.

Grabbing her by the neck, the blonde glared dangerously into her eyes. "Ya better stay the fuck away from Nicky. Otherwise I'll have to kill you. And you don't want your little girl to be without a mommy, do ya? I didn't think so," she whispered in an icy tone. She released her tight grip but not before pushing her harshly so she'd fall. A smirk formed as she watched, hoping she'd land on her abdomen right where her incision might be.

The pain was searing but Lorna refused to let it show. Not now in front of her former bully. She couldn't show her that she was still the same vulnerable teen she used to be. Instead, she pushed herself up and started jogging down the street.

Annalisa watched gleefully as the petite brunette miserably made her way up the road, out of sight. She happily made her way back inside the coffee shop and reclaimed her spot across from Nicky. The eyes stared heatedly into hers but she just shrugged it off. "She left in a hurry. Guess she had better things to do than be your friend? That sucks."

"You practically fucking pushed her out the door," Nicky grumbled, pointing at Lorna's left-behind coffee. "The poor kid didn't even get to take her coffee. What's your problem, Lisa? Why were ya acting so bitchy to her? What'd that sweet girl ever do to you?"

Eyes wide, the blonde slammed her hand on the table. " _Me_ , bitchy? Are ya fucking kidding me, Nichols?  _Lorna's_  the bitch. That little skank fucking made the move on my man in ninth grade and now she thinks she's gonna be your best friend? Over her dead body."

The comment had alarm bells go off in Nicky's mind. She shook her head disbelievingly. "That's no excuse to fucking treat her like shit. She's not a bitch…all the poor girl wanted to do was have coffee and adult conversation. She was even sweet to you…and you fucking picked on her in school. What the hell, Lisa? Why would ya keep that kinda shit from me?"

"Fuck you, Nichols. Defending a stupid whore over me, that's bullshit. I'm leaving—have fun  _walking_  home," Annalisa snarled, getting harshly up from her chair and stomping her way to the door.

* * *

The pain grew stronger and sharper. Lorna collapsed onto the floor the minute she walked through the front door of her apartment. She felt a few tears soak her porcelain cheeks. She had to practically crawl into the living room, the pain was so bad. Her hands grabbed onto the edge of the couch and pulled herself up. She lay against the cushions in total agony. Sobs shook through her body. When she finally gained the courage, she looked down and noticed the blood that soaked through her shirt.

Quickly, she grabbed hold of her phone to dial Alex Vause's number—not wanting to go back to the hospital but knowing she needed some sort of medical attention. Through the pain, she brought the phone to her ear and waited excruciatingly through the numerous rings. When she heard the familiar voice respond on the other end, she felt a bout of relief.

"Alex Vause…hello," her voice weakly sniffed out between cries. "It's-it's Lorna Morello. From, from the hospital." Trying to get out her words in the amount of pain she was in seemed almost impossible.

"Lorna? Hey, are you okay? You don't sound too good. What's the matter?"

Lorna shook her head before realizing that wouldn't do her any good. She took a moment to collect herself. But the pain kept intensifying no matter what she tried to do. Sobs continued to plague her. "I-I f-f-fell and-and now my-my shirt…it-it's covered in blood. I-I can't move, I'm in so much pain. What…what do I do?"

Swallowing thickly, the black-haired paramedic rapidly started gathering her things before running out of her house to get in her car. She kept the phone held tight against her ear. "Don't worry, I'm on my way. Just tell me your address and I'll be there as quick as I can. Lay still and just keep breathing. Ya probably reopened your incision. I'll take care of it as soon as I get there, sweetie."

* * *

Not even ten minutes later Lorna heard the door to her apartment swing open. She was grateful that she forgot to lock it today. She knew there was no way for her to move in the pain that she was in. The pain that seemed to radiate everywhere at that point. It was music to her ears the footsteps that grew closer to her. She slightly lifted her head to find the paramedic standing over her with a worried expression etched on her face and a medical bag in her hand.

"That looks pretty bad," Alex informed her just staring at the amount of blood soaking her shirt. She knelt down on the ground in front of her and very carefully lifted the shirt to get a glimpse at the incision. The bottom half of the incision ripped open, blood gushing through the hole. She reached in her bag for a needle and stitches. "Shit, kid, ya popped the whole bottom part open…what happened?"

Lorna swallowed hard at the sight of the needle. The object worsened her anxiety. She looked back up at the black-haired woman with wide eyes and shook her head profusely. "You're not putting that thing in my skin are ya?"

Threading the dark piece of string into the needle, Alex glanced down at the clearly terrified brunette with sympathy in her eyes. She nodded slowly while using her free hand to place comfortingly onto the flesh of her forehead. "I have to. I gotta close up your incision so ya don't bleed to death. It's gonna hurt but once it's closed up, I'll get you some pain medicine. Did ya take it this morning like you're supposed to?"

Teeth nervously chattering inside her mouth, Lorna momentarily squeezed her eyes shut. Needles were always one of her weaknesses. She wanted to move away from it but the unbearable pain deterred her from any such thing. "I-I don't know. I was busy getting my daughter ready for school. Do ya really have to do that?" She cried, throwing her hands to stop her from coming any closer.

"Ya have to take care a yourself, too, Lorna. I know it's probably challenging balancing looking after your daughter and worrying about yourself…but ya have a serious wound that you need to make sure you take care of. Don't ya have someone who can come stay with ya while you recover? You can't do this on your own, sweetie…this right here proves that. And, yes, I have to close it back up. It'll be real quick. I promise. Just relax; it'll be okay," she tried to sound reassuring but knew it wouldn't be easy. It was never easy. She let her fingers caress lightly around her forehead before going to focus on stitching her back up.

"I don't have no friends and my sister's busy with her own kids."

Alex looked up for a second to give a solemn stare. "What about your parents? Could either of them come stay?"

Closing her eyes in agony at the sharp stabbing in her chest, a deep sob echoed through the room. Lorna shook her head roughly and tried to squirm her way from underneath the sharp object. "Get that thing away from me!"

"Lorna, stay still. I need ya to stay still for me," the older woman softly whispered, eyes looking desperately up into brown ones. She couldn't move her hands until she completed the stitch. "I know it hurts but if you move you'll be worse off. Just close your eyes and focus on breathing. It'll take just a minute if ya stay calm."

Oh, it took a minute—a long, agonizing, excruciating minute. A minute that felt like an eternity to Lorna. The second that needle came out of her skin, she felt a release of tension. A relieving sensation. She looked up at the paramedic. "I'll take that pain med, now. I just—I wanna feel normal again," she muttered.

Alex nodded but pointed to her red-stained shirt. "Ya wanna change your shirt before ya take anything? You'll probably feel drowsy after I give it to ya and it wouldn't be a good idea to go to sleep with blood all over ya."

The brunette peered down at her shirt and realized that was probably the best idea. She slowly, grotesquely, tried to push herself into a sitting position but that only made a searing ache run through her entire body.

"No, no, lay back down. I'll go get a clean shirt for ya. You just lay there and relax, yeah? I'll be back with a shirt and your medicine."

"My room's the one on the right," she whispered through waves of pain. She swallowed thickly, trying to ease it somehow. Her eyes watched as the tall woman followed her direction and exited to the hallway. It felt like another eternity had passed before she came back in with the shirt and two pain pills accompanied by a glass of water.

"Here's the shirt," Alex said, handing it to her after she took the medicine. She watched her with concerned eyes. "You okay? Do ya need any help? You can barely even sit up, sweetie. Poor thing…how'd ya manage to fall?"

Lorna waved her hand and pushed herself up, ignoring the pain. There was no way she would let anyone help her put on a shirt, especially not a person she hardly knew. "I can manage but thank you," she whispered, lifting her blood-stained shirt and slowly taking it off. She shut her eyes, bit her mouth to stop the sharp sensation. It was all encompassing. She threw that to the floor and quickly put the new on.

"I was walking home from a coffee shop and kinda slipped in the snow."

Helping her to carefully lay back against the cushions, Alex peered down at her with soft eyes. She let a thumb run soothingly across her forehead. "What were ya doing going to a coffee shop just two days after being released from the hospital, huh? And ya managed to walk all the way back here in that much pain? Did no one stop to help you?"

The brunette looked for the throw blanket she kept on the couch but realized she couldn't reach it unless she sat up and sucked in her abdomen to get it. A motion she knew would only make the pain worse and she certainly didn't want that. "The girl who found my daughter, she gave me her number because she wants to be friends, she said. We went to high school but never talked and so she invited me to go for coffee. I couldn't say no. She's real nice and I need adult friends, ya know?"

"Ya want the blanket?" Alex noticed her looking for something while faintly shivering so she quickly grabbed the blanket from the other end of the couch and wrapped it snugly around the other's small body. "There ya go. Just say what ya need, okay? You're in pain, you can't be doing all this. It wasn't a smart choice to go out in the snow today. I understand but ya shoulda told her to come over here, yeah?"

"She didn't see ya fall?"

Lorna shook her head and looked away, not wanting to even think about the incident. "No one saw. Shit, what-what time is it?"

"It's just past noon. Ya sure ya don't have anyone who can stay with you? I really think you need someone. You're doing too much already and ya need to be resting more than you are. What about that girl ya talk to? Is there anyway she can help ya out? She knows your situation, I think you should talk to her about it."

The brunette shook her head roughly. No way would she even think about asking Nicky such a question. She hardly knew her and she wasn't about to give Annalisa any more reason to want her dead. "I can't. We like hardly know each other. Plus, she has a girlfriend and I don't wanna be a problem."

Continuing the comforting motion around her forehead, Alex sighed. "Didn't she stop by the hospital a few times to visit you? I don't think she'd have a problem coming to check on you a couple times a day if ya ask. What—does her girlfriend have it in for ya or something?"

"You could say that," Lorna whispered. "She's the reason I fell."

Cupping a hand around her, the paramedic gazed up at her with an inquisitive eyebrow. "What was that? Did ya say her girlfriend is the reason ya fell?"

"I-I don't wanna talk about that. I'm feeling kinda…kinda tired. I think I'm just gonna maybe sleep a little. Thanks for…for coming over-over to-to help. You-you can go now…I'm sure ya gotta get to work."

Alex shook her head and stayed in her spot. "I'm off today. I'll stay to make sure you're okay. You should be tired, I just gave ya an extra strength dose of pain medicine…since ya forgot to take it this morning, Lorna. It should help for a good few hours," she assured her, combing a hand soothingly through her brown waves. "Sleep as long as ya need. That's what's gonna help ya heal. Close your eyes, you'll feel better after a little nap. Ya think your sister can get your daughter off the bus today? You need to stay inside and sleep, sweetie. Ya really pushed yourself too much."

"Mmm…no. She gotta…erm…work at three. I'll mmm just set an…erm…alarm," Lorna mumbled, her words becoming more and more jumbled. Her eyes quickly grew heavy.

"No, you're gonna sleep for a while. You've already done too much today. I can get her off the bus if ya want, what time does she get home?"

Lorna shook her head. "She-she doesn't…mmm….know ya," her voice tiredly muttered. "She does-doesn't like strangers."

"Okay, then, how about I call this friend a yours and see if she can. It doesn't hurt to ask, Lorna. Tell me her name, please, before ya fall asleep," she pleaded.

Letting out a rather large yawn, the brunette snuggled deeper into the blanket and finally allowed her eyes to fully shut. "Nicky," she whispered before sleep finally overtook her completely.

* * *

While Lorna slept, Alex took the time to grab her phone and search for Nicky's number. Someone needed to stay there with the girl whether she believed that or not. She clicked the name, tapping the call button, and lifted it up to press against her ear. She waited through the numerous rings. It seemed like forever before she heard a voice on the other end. One that sounded eerily conversant to her.

"Lorna? I'm surprised to hear from ya so soon—"

"This isn't Lorna," the black-haired woman quickly corrected. "I'm a paramedic who stopped by to re-stitch her incision. Listen, I understand that the two of ya are just acquaintances but she needs someone to come over during the day and make sure she doesn't overdo anything. Her family is not able to do any of that and she says she doesn't have anyone else…is there any way you'd be able to check on her once a day?"

Sitting outside on the stoop of her porch, Nicky took out a cigarette and lighted it with her lighter. She used her shoulder to hold the phone to her ear while holding the cig between her fingers and bringing it up for a much-desired smoke. "Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Hey, ya know you sound familiar—is that you, Vause?" A chuckle escaped her at the thought of her old-time drug buddy now working as a paramedic. What a turn of events she thought. If only she had the strength to change her life around that same way.

"Ah, Nicky Nichols—that's why I remember that name. Yes, it's me. Ya still do drugs, yeah?"

Arching her eyebrows with an empty smile, Nicky snickered. When would she ever stop? She took a second drag of her cigarette and expelled a big breath of air. "I still smoke…tryna my best to stay away from the harder shit. But fucking Annalisa won't stop inviting her damn mother over—she's tryna sabotage it feels like. Enough about that—why'd ya have to stitch Lorna up? Did somethin' happen?"

Massaging her temples, the paramedic pondered how to respond. She didn't want to make anything worse for Lorna's situation. Didn't want to give any more reason for Nicky's girlfriend to bother with the young brunette. She sighed, trying to come up with a proper story. "Well, Lorna said she ventured off in the snow today to have coffee with ya—not a wise decision seeing as she just got outta the hospital yesterday—but she slipped on her way back. Caused half her incision to break open," she shook her head at the image; it took a lot of time and training to get used to the sight of overwhelming amounts of blood…that was for sure.

"Not a pretty sight to walk into. Anyway, she called me and here I am. Gave her the pain meds she forgot to take and now she's conked out on the couch. That'll keep her asleep for a couple hours, at least…however, she needs someone to get her daughter off the bus and I guess her sister works—would ya be able to do that? I offered but Lorna says she's not fond of strangers."

Nicky nodded after finishing the last of her cig. She threw it one of the ashtrays she had lying around and grabbed her satchel from the end-table. "Shit, I'm an idiot. I shoulda just came over to visit…poor kid. Thank God you were able to get there and help her out. I just needa know where to go and I'll be able to get her." Throwing the strap of the bag over her shoulder, she hurried her way down the stairs and over to her car that sat in the rocky driveway. It had to be fate that she found that little girl. Something was brewing, she could sense it.

* * *

When Lorna finally regained her consciousness, she found her living room to be hosting a video-game palooza. She squinted her eyes momentarily at the brightness of the sun shinning through the windows before gradually sitting herself up. Her hand wiped at her mouth, clearing away the deep-sleep drool that seemed to accumulate against her face. She turned her head to find her daughter's sitting on the couch between both Nicky and Alex all the while playing one of her favorite video games.

The smell of pizza was the next thing she noticed and found two very boxes of it lying on her neatly-dusted coffee table. She swallowed hard, trying not to be bothered by it. "Wow," she finally spoke up, eyes looking over at the three people who appeared to be heavily entranced in the game they were playing. "What's going on in here? Looks like a little party."

Ona set aside her controller and ran over to embrace her mother with intensity. She gave her a butterfly-like kiss on the cheek, smiling brightly. "Nicky brought me home from the bus stop and she ordered pizza for us. So ya don't have to cook. And me, her, and Alex are having a video-game party—it's so much fun! They're much more fun than the friends I got at school," she pointed out with a giggle. Nuzzling her head against her mother's neck.

"That was nice," Lorna nodded, giving a kind smile over to the both of them. She ruffled her daughter's hair and pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "Did ya do your homework already, hon?"

"Yes, mommy. And I made you a get-well card in art class today," the curly-haired little girl gushed, running to her room to grab it from her bookbag.

With her daughter momentarily out of the room, Lorna looked over at the older two women with a sincere smile on her face. "Thank you for keeping her entertained for me. It's hard trying to be a mom while recovering from this damn brutal operation," she admitted, squeezing a pillow against her aching chest. Even with the pain medication, the ache lingered.

"Hey, it's not a problem. Ona's a character," Nicky smiled, turning her head to glance at the brunette. "How're ya feelin'?"

"That rest helped, didn't it? You look much better—not as sleep-deprived," Alex commented, studying her face meticulously.

Resting her arm on the armrest of the sofa, Lorna leaned her against her shoulder and nodded. Sleep did something good for her, she thought. She could actually think without the fuzzy sensation that sit in her head from the drugs. "I feel almost like myself again. I'm not used to taking drugs like these pain killers…it makes me feel so—cloudy?"

Nicky nodded knowingly. She knew exactly how drugs worked, exactly how messed up they could make a person feel. "They make ya feel weird, yeah kid? It's okay, what you're taken is some strong shit. You'll feel loopy for a good while until they wear off. Believe it or not, there are some people who take those things just to feel that way. I know, I was one of them."

Lorna's eyes grew wide at hearing that. She swallowed thickly but couldn't find the words to speak. " _Why?_  Why would ya wanna feel like this? It's hard to even think straight…I hate it, can't wait to be done."

"I don't do it anymore. But  _that's why_  I wanted to do it…so I  _didn't_  have to think."

Thankfully, before Lorna could come up with a response, Ona skipped back into the room holding a homemade card in her hand. She waved it excitedly in front her mother and pointed her finger repeatedly at the cover. "Here it is. I drew your favorite flowers on the front—do ya like it, mommy?"

Gathering the petite child into her arms, Lorna brushed her cheeks in multiple kisses. She smiled warmly, hugging her tight against her. "I love it, sweetheart. You did a real nice job…it's so beautiful just like you. Thank you, my sweet Antonia."

Watching the tender moment only made Nicky's long to be apart of Lorna's life deeper. Confirmed that it was, indeed, fate that brought little Antonia to that gas station for her to find. They needed her…or maybe  _she needed them_. All she needed to do was find a way to break free from her relationship with Annalisa. That toxic relationship wasn't doing anything for her, anyway. All it did was keep her near drugs, something she really yearned to stay away from.

* * *

Rage seethed through Annalisa's skin as she huffed and puffed the whole way down the hall towards her mother's apartment. She slammed her first roughly against the door, waiting impatiently for it to be opened. She shook her head spitefully. There was no way she was about to allow Lorna Morello to ruin her relationship. Over that girl's dead body, she vowed. Her teeth grit inside her mouth. She knew she should have just gone through with the killing herself rather than hiring Christopher Maclaren—who failed to make sure she was dead before abandoning her in the house. Just thinking about that made her blood boil.  _What an idiot_ , she thought.

Barb threw open the door, a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. She rolled her eyes at her daughter's behavior. "What crawled up your ass? Ya damn well almost punched a whole in my door, Lis. I don't needa fuckin' lose my security deposit, ya know?"

The blonde grumbled to herself and pushed past her mother into the kitchen. "Nicky wants to fuckin' take a break, ma. Ya know what that means? She wants to fucking try to get in that little Morello's bed," she threw her hands up, her voice growing louder with each word. She paced angrily around the room, shaking her head violently. Oh, she'd show her—she'd take Lorna and ruin her so that no one would ever want to lay their hands on her again.

"Or maybe she finally realized how irrational you are, Lis," the straggly brunette pointed out with a chuckle. "God, ain't that Morello a mama now? She won't let another woman sleep with her, ya idiot." She exhaled a breath of smoke and shook her head. Sometimes she wondered what kind of a daughter she gave birth to.

Annalisa rolled her eyes. "No, mother, fucking use your brain. Nicky had a little crush on her ever since high school…she wants to get in that slut's bed. And ya know, Morello the whore loves to go after the people I date. Put two and two together for Christ sake. We need to do somethin' about this shit. We needa get Lorna and ruin her so no one will ever lust after her again."

"We?  _We?_  She ain't sleepin' with anyone I date. Why do I have to be apart a this? Work out your own damn shit, Lis."

Grabbing a cigarette off the kitchen table, the blonde used a match to light it. She looked over at her mother with darkness lurking in her blue orbs. "Oh, come on. I have a real good plan, ma. It'll be fun. Don't ya wanna help out your only daughter?"

Barb sighed, taking another drag of the cig. She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, fine. But only if ya promise to get more a that heroin, yeah? That stuff's the shit, Lis."

Nodding, Annalisa smirked while rubbing her hands together delightfully. Oh, hell, was this going to be a great adventure. Little slutty Morello didn't have a clue what she walked into. Her life was going to fall apart right in front of her and there wasn't anything she could do but watch in agony.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

With her relationship on hold, Nicky found it liberating to not have to worry about Annalisa's comments whenever she was planning to do something with Lorna. She could call, text, see her without a care in the world. It was truly a redeeming sensation. She felt free without Annalisa always hovering over her. Always wondering what she was or wasn't doing. She smiled and grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge, cracking it open once in her living room and kicking her feet up on the coffee table. This was the life, she blissfully thought.

The vibration of her phone was the only thing to interrupt her from the tranquil moment. She quickly took it out of her pocket to see a text from Lorna waiting to be read. She smiled while keying in her passcode. All the time she spent lusting over that docile petite teen in high school and never said a word to her, she deemed to make up for that loss now. To continue to strengthen their friendship and, hopefully in the future, turn that into something even more meaningful.

She sipped her cold pop while awaiting to hear back from the brunette. The past couple of weeks were exhilarating to say the least. She spent the majority of her time over at Lorna's apartment, making sure she didn't overdo it and getting Ona on and off the bus so she wouldn't risk another fall in the frigid winter's wrath. It made her thankful that she came across that little girl at the gas station—such an occurrence really seemed to be changing her life for the better. She only smoked half-a-pack of cigarettes a day now, she realized.

Her phone's screen lighting up took her away from her thoughts. She set aside the pop can and focused her eyes on the screen.  _Hey, Ona just left for school. Wanna go have coffee at that coffee shop? Maybe this time we can actually do some talking, lol._ Reading the response immediately induced a chuckle out of Nicky.

_Sounds like a plan, Stan. I'll pick ya up so you don't have another 'slipping' incident, yeah? ;)_ , she used her fingers to type the message into her phone and pressed the send button with her thumb. After receiving confirmation, Nicky chugged the rest of her Diet Coke, grabbed her satchel, and shook herself into her winter-coat. She walked through the kitchen, taking a half-full pack of cigarettes lying on her table and placing it in her pocket before making her way out the door to her car.

* * *

Lorna smiled as she made her way down the sidewalk to enter inside of her friend's vehicle. "Nice car," she commented, taking a look around the inside of it once she was securely fastened with the seatbelt. Aside from the fact that it wasn't quite as clenly as she chose to keep her own car, overall it had a rather appealing appearance. The smell of smoke, however, was a different story.

"Yeah, she keeps me going at least," the redhead answered with a laugh. She patted her hand over the steering wheel before pulling out of the parking spot. Her eyes averted over towards Lorna, a genuine smile on her face. "Sorry for the mess, kid. I'm a messy person, I guess. How're ya feelin' today?"

The brunette only gave small shrug. The total opposite of herself, she seemed to be. But then again, people always said that opposites attract. Maybe that was true. She watched as Nicky picked up a cigarette from the cup holder and held it perfectly between her fingers while steering the car down the street. Some example of eye-hand coordination, she thought with a laugh.

"No big deal," she finally spoke up. "The pain is finally starting to get less and less. I only have to take a half a pain pill every six or so hours to get me by."

Nicky tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm glad to hear the pain's getting better but is that what your doctor said to do, kid?"

"Not technically…but I don't think I need the whole dose. It's too much."

Tapping the butt of her cigarette on the rim of her open window, Nicky arched her eyebrows and shook her head. "Stopping it too soon might make the pain come back worse, kid. But it's your body…you know what's best, yeah? Just be careful." The rest of the drive went by without incident. She pulled into a parking spot right in front of the coffee shop. A rare event she deemed. The city hardly ever had any decent spots to park available.

She followed behind Lorna, holding the door for her and entering through after her. The scent of coffee seemed overwhelming; her nose crinkled in bliss. She lusted after a good cup of coffee, almost as much as she did her cigarettes. The two went hand-in-hand she thought. With it being a late week-day morning, it didn't surprise Nicky that there weren't too many people waiting in front of them. The majority of people were either at work or school, no doubt.

"Yeah, what can I get— _oh, it's you two_ ," the cashier stated in an irritancy that clearly showed through her facial expression and tone.

Nicky looked up from her bag and widened her eyes when she saw the clerk to be none other than Annalisa. She threw her hands up in exasperation, "What the fuck are you doing workin' here? You know I come here to get coffee, Lisa."

The blonde rolled her eyes and gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Since  _you_ fucking kicked me outta the apartment, I needed some way to afford my own place. Don't like it go somewhere else,  _Nichols_."

"I didn't kick ya out, I told ya I needed a break and you were the one who chose to leave. That's on you. You coulda applied anywhere in town but ya deliberately chose this, huh? Don't lie to me. You know damn well this is my go-to coffee shop," the shorter woman retorted through gritted teeth. She shook her head fervently. Leave it to Annalisa to ruin another outing with her new friend.

Lorna watched the two argue long enough. She had to do something to diffuse the tension. Instinctively, she stood in front of Nicky and looked straight ahead at the new clerk—the same girl who used to spend her time seeking out ways to make her life hell. She swallowed hard but pushed past the emotions. "We just wanna order some coffee and go sit in peace. We're not here to cause trouble—I'd like to get a mocha and she'll get the plain dark roast coffee."

The high-pitched Brooklyn accent was like listening to chalk screeching against a chalkboard. Annalisa narrowed her eyes darkly at the petite brunette who guarded her former girlfriend. "How the hell do ya know what kinda coffee Nicky wants, huh? Ya known her what—a week?" She keyed the order harshly onto the screen in front of her, yet her teeth clattered together in a boiling fury.

Feeling a sensation of protectiveness plaguing her, Nicky wrapped a gentle arm around Lorna's shoulder. She let her big brown eyes glare across the counter at the foreign woman who stood in front of her. A woman who certainly didn't turn out to be who she thought she was. There was a darkness to her that she hadn't realized before now. It made her sick that she never noticed.

"Get off her back, Lisa. Just fucking put our orders in and let's get this damn transaction over with," she huffed, rolling her eyes.

The blonde used her middle-finger to itch her eyes, rolling her neck back and forth around her shoulders to crack it. She kept her gaze on Lorna, making sure she knew this wasn't even close to being over. Little Morello chose the wrong woman to mess with. "Yeah, whatever," she grumbled while messing around with the price of the mocha. A smirk spread across her face; she looked back up and over at the brunette, "Total's fourteen dollars fifty cents."

Knitting her eyebrows together, trying to calculate the numbers in her head, something didn't add up in Lorna's mind. They ordered two drinks; no way it was more than six dollars, she thought. But, to avoid any more argument, she searched her purse for her wallet and took out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. However, before she had the chance to hand it over, she felt a hand stop her.

Nicky gave her a firm stare. "She's rippin' us off, kid. Don't ya dare give her your money." She turned her head to look darkly at the blonde, shaking her head in disgust at her petty behavior. "Fourteen dollars for two fucking drinks? Are ya stupid? Do ya know how ridiculous that is? You're just being bitter because ya don't like that I'm going on with my life. Now, give us the real total."

"Excuse me but looks like your new friend has expensive taste—mocha costs ten dollars," the blonde smiled brightly, resting a hand delightfully over her cheek. Watching the two in glee. She reached her hand over to roughly snatch the bill from Lorna's hand. She put it in the register, closed it, and faked a stunned mien. "Aw, shit, would ya look at that—ain't no change to give ya, Morello. Guess you can count that as your contribution to me. Afterall you are the reason why I gotta work here."

"Wow, Lisa, I never realized just how cruel you are. We'll wait for our drinks and then we're getting the fuck outta here. You have no right to treat Lorna this way. She never did a damn thing to ya," Nicky hissed, face growing redder by the second. She pulled Lorna along with her to the other side of the shop.

Her eyes softened as they peered down into brown ones. She sighed and pulled her in for a comforting embrace. "Shit, I'm sorry. Who woulda guessed that she got a job here, yeah? Don't worry, kid, we'll go enjoy our coffees somewhere else," she huskily assured, squeezing her tight before releasing her to look through her purse for some money. She found a ten dollar bill and pulled it out.

"Here," she said, handing the green piece of paper over to Lorna. "Take it, kid. Please, she fucking scammed you. I don't want you being taking advantage of like that. Especially when ya have a little girl to care of."

Lorna quickly shook her hand, waving her hand at the money. "Don't worry about it, Nicky. It ain't a big deal. I'll make it back once I'm able to go to work again," she admitted with a sad smile. Although she appreciated the warm gesture more than anything, she wouldn't take even a penny from anyone. She couldn't—that wasn't who she was.

"Take it, please. I want you to have it—you need it, Lorna. Ya gotta take care a yourself and Ona. Ya have a good while before you'll be cleared to work again…which only confirms that you need this money more than I. If you don't take it, I'll just put it in your purse myself," Nicky informed her with a soft smile. She didn't even wait for a response before reaching over to place it in the bag that rest on the brunette's side.

With a sigh, Lorna could only look up at the older woman with a grateful gleam shinning through her orbs. She smiled sweetly, taking a hold of one of the taller girl's hand. "I don't think I've ever met someone so nice. Thank you, Nicky," she whispered, giving the hand she held a tight squeeze.

The two waited in comfortable silence until their coffees were finished. Nicky grabbed hold of both the cups, leading the way out the door that lead back out to the freezing February weather. She stopped in the front of the building and turned to peer at Lorna. "Your place or mine?"

Making decisions was one of Lorna's least favorite things to do. She was always so indecisive when it came to making a choice. She held a finger to her mouth, looking between the redhead and the car. "Uh…I don't know. I think it'd make more sense to go to mine since I have Ona to get later—what do ya think, Nicky? Is that what you wanna do?"

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Nicky placed a tender hand over her shoulder and gazed softly into her eyes. "Kid, ya don't have to overthink everything. Seriously, it doesn't matter to me where we go as long as we get some peace, yeah? We can enjoy our coffees and company without anyone else around. That's all that matters."

* * *

"We have to move on with the plan," Annalisa seethed the minute she walked in her mother's apartment. She slammed the door shut behind her and loudly walked through the kitchen to find her mother's sitting on the living room couch smoking a joint. Her eyes stared down at the straggly brunette in a fury. She yanked one out of the pack she had lying on the coffee table.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Barb turned slightly to glance at the young woman. She huffed out a thick air of smoke. "Why so soon? The fuck's the hurry, huh?" She brought the rolled-up cannabis back towards her mouth for another drag, waiting for an answer. Leave it to her daughter to ruin her one evening of peace, she thought with a grumble.

"Morello's already fucking got herself wrapped around Nicky's finger—it's disgusting, ma.  _I fucking knew_  the only reason that bitch Nichols left me was so she could be with the whore," the blonde angrily roared, unwrapping the joint she took and lighting it with the lighter she found lying beside it.

The conclusion her daughter seemed to come to made Barb shake her head. "So ya think that's reason enough for us to kill her? Ya know that's just gonna get us in even more trouble with the law. Is that what ya want here, Lis? Cause I sure as fuck don't need the cops to have any more reason to want me behind bars."

"Oh, please. Don't act so self-righteous mother," Annalisa muttered, taking another dab of the joint in her hands. She threw up her middle-finger with a grunt. "I know what ya tried to do your sister; this ain't no different. Killing her is a last resort—I wanna torture her and make her undesirable to the entire population. And if you're too pussy to help me, I'll find someone else. I don't give a fuck. Morello needs to be punished."

Barb sighed but kept her mouth shut and finished out her joint. When she was done, she tossed it aside into an ashtray that sat on the end-table beside the sofa. She threw her arms out in conquest. "What kinda torture we talkin' about here? And how the hell are we gonna go about this?"

A smirk took form on the blonde's face; she rubbed her hands together in delight at the inquiry. Oh, how she dreamt of the day she'd ruin that little Morello's life. How she'd make her wish that they were back in high school and she was only being shoved into a locker rather than what she, now, had planned for her to endure. "I wanna make sure that she's never able to have sex again. That'll teach her not to fucking screw with other people's relationships, yeah? I'll worry about that…I just need you to get the supplies," she said, taking out a folded piece of paper she kept tucked away in her pocket and handing it to Barb.

Putting on her reading glasses, Barb held the list out in front of her. She read over it methodically, scrunching her forehead at the majority of the items. Her head turned, she gave a narrowing glance to her daughter. " _Bottles of gasoline? Liquid nitrogen_? The fuck kinda list is this shit, Lis? Sounds like a fucking science experiment…what the hell are ya gonna use these for?"

"I told ya I want her to be undesirable, didn't I?"

Widening her eyes, Barb pulled down her glasses and stared blankly at her daughter. "Ya wanna set her on fire or some shit?"

Biting her bottom lip, Annalisa rolled her head from side to side. "Something like that. More like a specific spot…one that she won't be able to use when doing the deed—it'll turn anyone who dares to date her the fuck off. Exactly what a whore like her deserves. No more pleasurable sex for little Morello."

"Shit, Lis. Ya wanna burn her  _vagina_? That's a whole new level of torture. I'm gonna have to down a whole bottle of whiskey before we do this shit. I'm gonna need a whole bottle  _right now_ ," the brunette admitted with the shake of her head. She got up from the couch and left the room to fetch herself exactly that. She needed a drink after realizing how twisted her own daughter was…just like her, she flinched.

It was all coming together, Annalisa thought with a smirk. Her plan was going smoothly—in no time, she would have that little Morello under her roof, ruthlessly tortured and beaten. That would teach her to never mess with her—or anyone—ever again, she deemed.  _Just you wait Morello_ , she thought,  _ya ain't ever gonna see what's coming_.

* * *

Lorna and Nicky enjoyed their coffees together in the living room of the brunette's place. Talking to one another came effortlessly—it felt as though the pair had known each other for years. As if they were best friends catching up. It was a pleasant sensation Lorna thought. She sipped her mocha happily while listening to the redhead talk. She could listen to that husky voice for hours without needing a break. It was soothing and mysterious all at once.

"Ya know your personal paramedic? Get this, kid, she used to be my smoking buddy," the older woman informed her with a chuckle. She shook her head and gulped down the rest of her coffee. "She gets clean and becomes a fucking paramedic…while I sit around smoking a near pack a day. Okay, a little less now. But ya get the gist, yeah?"

Placing a hand gently overtop of hers, Lorna only gave her a sympathetic stare. Even though she was raised in a strictly Catholic family, she strived to not judge other's choices as harshly as her parents had done. She knew not all people were bad for going down a hard road—there was always a reason. Something had to happen to make a person turn to smoking or other, stronger, drugs.

"Ya said you used to take pain killers like what I'm on, yeah?" She watched the other gradually nod and patted the top of her hand comfortingly. A sad smile formed on her face. "That means you're working towards getting clean, doesn't it? I mean smoking's bad—I wouldn't do it—but it's not as bad as being addicted to pain killers, right? Give yourself some credit, will ya hon?"

Such a comment only strengthened the yearn Nicky had for the petite brunette. She nodded intuitively, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I guess ya make a valid point there, kid. Thanks. It's just frustrating that I see my friend's made a better life for herself…but I can barely function without a smoke in the morning. Quitting is the hardest thing in the world."

Lorna couldn't imagine. Didn't want imagine what it was like to be addicted any type of drug. She sighed, tracing her thumb delicately around the redhead's hand. "Probably cause she figured out the reason she did drugs and  _you haven't_ , hon."

"Damn, kid, I didn't realize you're also a philosopher," Nicky snickered good-naturedly. "Believe me, though, I know exactly why I chose drugs."

"Well, maybe living with Annalisa didn't help the situation. She doesn't seem very supportive," the brunette pointed out, eyes still looking directly ahead into her friend's. The more she searched them, the more she found hidden. Pain, heartache, sorrow—it was all there.

No, living with that woman certainly did not help. Nicky shook her head. Annalisa only encouraged the drug use to keep going—it felt like the plague living with her. And her mother's interference gave them easy access to all the drugs she was trying to separate herself from. She never realized how toxic of a relationship that was until lately. Having run into Lorna—in a one-sided way—seemed to finally be the breaking point for her. Only rendering the gas station incident as fate.

"She's really not now that I think about it. More like an enabler," Nicky muttered. She shook her head and turned her head to peer at the brunette beside her. Her eyes softened. She placed a hand delicately on her cheek, stroking its soft flesh. "I still can't fucking believe I dated someone who used to bully you… You're so sweet, Lorna—how could she do that shit to ya? There's no reason for that."

Swallowing thickly, Lorna shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She loathed bringing up her past. Her terrifying high school days. It made her stomach flip inside her. No matter how much she tried to keep the pain hidden, she couldn't stop it from rearing its face any time someone mentioned the bullying. "Can we not talk about that? I just—I'm over it, ya know?"

Nicky tilted her head and cradled her hand around the cheek she held. "No, you're not. You're just pushing it further and further away, kid…but that's not gonna make it truly go away, yeah? Have ya ever talked about it with someone? A friend? Your sister?"

"Never had any friends," she mumbled, looking away solemnly.

The comment broke Nicky's heart. She brushed the tips of her fingers lightly along the porcelain flesh. It made her deeply regret not ever talking to her in school—had she known what was going on, she would have stepped in and done something about it. A sigh tumble up through her larynx. "Well ya do now, kid. I'm here and I ain't going anywhere. Ya wanna talk to me about what happened? How long did she bully you?"

Of course, the instinctive response was for Lorna to shake her head. Hell no she didn't want to discuss that horrible experience. Didn't want to relive all of the hurt and anguish. She wanted to forget about it and live her life like nothing ever happened. But that was what she'd done for the past eight years and she still felt the same. She felt just as broken as she did when she was being bullied. Maybe Nicky had a point…maybe it was time she finally open up to another human being about the ordeal.

"It went on from the middle of my freshman year until the day I graduated."

A lump sat in her throat. Nicky let her eyes search the petite woman over and just shook her head in disbelief. Still not able to wrap her head around the thought that someone would want to torment her in such a way. She couldn't find a single reason. "That's almost four years, kid… You mean to tell me you're entire time in high school—it was spent being in fear of Annalisa? What, what kinda things did she do?"

Lorna nodded, bowing her head down to hide her tears from the other. She couldn't stand to let people see her cry. She was used to being strong in front of her daughter that she completely locked up all of her true emotions. Being a mother, she didn't have the time to break apart. She had to keep herself in one piece for the sake of her precious Antonia.

"I was locked in a locker once during gym class—she, she claimed I was looking at her ex-boyfriend a little too long," was her teary response. She tried to push away the feelings but that proved to be quite the chore.

"The fuck? Did no one fucking see this? How-how long were ya in there, Lorna? Who let ya out?" It was almost too much to hear Lorna's agonizing confession. To know how badly picked on and hurt she was…by her own ex-girlfriend. A person who, now, seemed like a stranger to her. She couldn't believe she had no idea how dark of a person Annalisa truly was. It made her sick she didn't know this shit was going on.

The brunette felt her bottom lip slowly begin to quiver. It was becoming harder and harder to keep herself from crying. "Just until the class was over. Annalisa let me out and threatened that she would do worse if I looked at him again."

Without any hesitation, Nicky encircled her arms tight around Lorna's waist. She pulled her close against her body and sighed. It sickened her to know what a disturbed individual the person she thought she knew turned out to be. "That was what—forty-five minutes? You coulda fucking suffocated in that damn thing…how, how could no one of noticed? Is this even the worse thing she's done? What else have ya gone through, kid?"

"Most of it's just petty, ya know? Stupid stuff that doesn't matter. It's done with…talking about it now is not gonna change things."

" _It does_  matter, Lorna. It broke you and now ya need to heal. Talking about it will help you with that. Please tell me what all she did. I need to know, kid. You're my friend and I care so deeply about you," Nicky huskily pleaded, embracing her snug against her. She only felt closer to the brunette by hearing what she went through. Only felt a stronger desire to protect her.

"No, I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Please stop nagging me. I-I gotta get Ona soon, anyway. I don't have time for this."

Tightening her hold, Nicky brushed her lips over her head in a soothing manner. She let her hands tangle gently through her dark brown waves. "It's that bad, huh? I'm so sorry, Lorna…you don't deserve any amount a pain. You're too sweet," she murmured, rocking her softly in her arms while resting her head against the brunette's.

Lorna rubbed her forehead in exhaustion. She shook her head in anger. "She made me wanna die, Nicky. I-I fucking hate her. She's…she's terrifying," she cried out, both rage and sobs mixing into her tone. Her hands harshly balled into fists at her side. She felt her head shake with how overwhelmed all the emotions made her.

"Shh," Nicky whispered, stroking a hand softly up and down her back. She pulled her closer and placed Lorna's head delicately onto her chest. The powerful statement brought a deep ache to her heart. She swallowed hard, looking down at the petite woman in her arms with nothing but compassion for her. "It's okay, kid. You have me now—you don't ever have to worry about facing that bitch alone, ya hear me? I'll fucking deal with her. How dare she bully you that bad…so bad that you'd want to die…"

Sucking in a deep breath, Nicky combed a hand through thick hair. "Did you—did ya ever actually try to-to kill yourself?" She inquired in a soft whisper, almost inaudible.

It was a hard question for Lorna to respond to. She swallowed a lump and shut her eyes tightly. That was a dark time in her life—a time that she kept locked away in the deep part of her mind. No one knew just how severely scarred she was. She timidly rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, exposing the many—faint—red scars that plagued her porcelain skin. It hadn't been something she'd shared with anyone before. Not even her older sister knew the extent of her pain.

Nicky gulped and closely examined the arms displayed in front of her. She touched the flesh, brushing her fingers softly around all the red areas. Her eyes averted up at Lorna, peering into them with an unrelenting softness. "Did ya do this?"

Not able to form a coherent sentence, Lorna only nodded as tears flooded her face. She bowed her head down in shame of herself. In shame of the choices she made.

" _Poor baby_ ," she whispered, her voice slightly cracked from the silent tears that formed in her own eyes. Seeing such a sight made her desire to protect Lorna even stronger. She wrapped her arms tighter, cradling her softly against her body. She shut her eyes and shook her head brokenly. No wonder they made perfect friends, she quietly thought, they both favored unhealthy coping mechanisms.

"You're not alone anymore," Nicky softly assured, lips warm over the top of her head. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna help you with this, okay?"

The brunette shook her head. Tears swarmed down her reddening cheeks. "It numbed me. And now I do it so I—so I can be strong for Ona. I can't be a wreck in fronta her. I'm her mommy—she needs me."

Nicky nodded knowingly. That was exactly what doing drugs did for her. Numbed her from the pain. But it wasn't healthy to stop herself from feeling, she slowly learnt, and the same went for Lorna. She needed to stop. "You still do it…" She repeated more as a statement rather than a question. The other's nod started another round of tears. She never felt this emotionally-attached to another being before. Not even her ex-girlfriend.

"I don't think Ona would want her mommy to hurt herself. She does need you. And that's why ya gotta stop this—you can't hurt yourself like this. What, what do you use to hurt your arms with? Do ya use a razor, scissors…a knife?"

"Knife," Lorna muttered. "I wanna cut the skin enough to leave scars…to remind me of how worthless I am. Just like Annalisa said."

"No," Nicky murmured in a broken voice; her head tilted against her shoulder, she frowned while gazing softly ahead into Lorna's emotionless orbs. " _No_ ," she repeated, her lips warm over the flesh of her ear. Tears fell from her eyes at that point. She found Lorna right when she needed her most it seemed—this was her rock-bottom. And, it was up to Nicky to help her out of it. "You-you're not worthless, _baby_." She felt her breath catch in the midst of her sniffles. Crying was a foreign thing for the redhead to let out. However, the clear agony Lorna was in seemed enough to trigger a response out of her.

Her hands cradled tenderly around Lorna's head, hugging it snugly onto her chest. The tip of her chin rested atop brown waves of hair. "Don't listen to Annalisa…you're not even close to being worthless, kid. I could fucking kill her for making you feel this damn bad. I am so sorry, baby," she whispered, squeezing her tight. Her lips stroked over strands of brown hair. "I hope you know you're stuck with me now, yeah? You need me. And I need you, too."

* * *

Having no indication of where Annalisa's own apartment was located, Nicky went to the next best-thing. She pounded her fist infuriatingly against the wood of the door to Barb's place. She hoped to God that the blonde was there visiting. Rage was sizzling at the knowledge of all that she'd done—all the hell that she put her new best friend through. Her hands balled into tight fists at the mere thought. She longed to swing one right into her lying little face.

"God, what the fuck is with everyone wantin' to bash this door in?" Was Barb's loud voice on the other side, the sound of the lock unlatching accompanying it. She opened the door and folded her arms over her chest when her eyes landed on Nicky. "What the hell are ya doing here?"

Gritting her teeth, seeing the middle-aged straggly brunette only fueled her anger. Her eyebrows knitted distastefully overtop of her eyes. "I'm here to see Annalisa. Where the fuck is she?"

Sputtering out a chuckle, the older woman leaned against the frame of her apartment door. She guarded it so that Nicky couldn't enter inside. Like hell she'd let her daughter's ex to ever set foot in her place again, she thought. "For what reason would that be? I already know you kicked her out. Ya think I'm gonna play nice here, Nichols? Ya wanna be with my daughter…maybe ya shoulda thought of that before ya called it quits, huh?"

"First of all, I said we were taking a damn break. She was the one who chose to leave, that's on her. And second, I'm glad she left because I never wanna see her again. She's fucking sadistic," Nicky hollered, punching her fist harshly into the doorframe. Her eyes glaring darkly ahead into Barb's brown ones. "Where the fuck is she? I needa beat some sense into her. Do ya fucking know your daughter's a bully?"

"Oh, yeah, I know and I'm proud. Little Morello thinks it's okay to fuck around with other people's relationships. Better watch out, Nichols. That's a whore you're getting involved with," Barb retorted with a snicker. She shook her head—how perfectly everything was all panning out, it seemed.

They were the most fucked-up pair of people Nicky could honestly say she ever met. Her rage grew stronger at the vulgarity being spat out of the older woman's mouth. "Yeah? No wonder your daughter's sadistic, she gets it from you.  _Look_ , you tell her if she even thinks about coming near Lorna again, I'll fucking rearrange her face. Got that? I'm not leaving that sweet girl's side—someone has to fucking protect her from you and your wicked witch of a daughter."

* * *

Setting a pot of boiling water on the stove, Barb turned to stare at the blonde. A smirk formed on her face. "I think someone's been a little too chatty with Nicky," she informed her while grabbing a bag of dark powder from the countertop and dumping all of it into the pot. Obtaining a spoon from one of the drawers, she carried it over to where the boiling water resided and used it to mix the two ingredients together.

Annalisa shot her head-up and gave a heated glance to her mother. Eyebrows knit together on her forehead. "Why's that? How do ya know?" She just knew she needed to find a way to lure that woman here before anything else got in her way.

"Nichols stopped by—I think she was hoping to beat your ass," the brunette commented with a laugh, stirring the liquid with one hand while focusing her eyes across the room at her daughter. "Sounds like Morello spilled the beans to her, Lis. Nicky was fuming."

Nodding her head blissfully, Annalisa smiled. Morello was in for it now, she thought. She would get her here one way or another—she opened up her laptop and started searching the internet for tips. "That just means it's time to get this damn plan in action. It's time Morello pays for what she's done. Fucking whore. Trying to play victim? Oh, I'll show her  _victim_. She's gonna wish she never existed after we're through here," she grumbled, typing furiously away on her laptop's keyboard. Little Morello done sealed her fate now, she silently said.

* * *

Stopping by her ex's mother's place—and dealing with Barb rather than Annalisa—only ignited her rage. She couldn't go home after that. She needed to go somewhere else. Somewhere she could drown out her anger with alcohol or cigarettes…or better yet,  _both_. It wasn't the healthiest of choices but it was what she needed. She walked down the block, trying to dissipate the rage while searching for a decent-appearing bar. It hadn't taken long before she finally stumbled across exactly what she was looking for.

The scent of smoke hit her nose immediately upon entering the bar. It was a homey sort of smell to her. Cigarettes were her comfort. She closed her eyes and let herself become immersed in it. Just the aroma of her favorite drug of choice seemed enough to ease her nerves. She made her way over to the bar and situated herself on one of the stools. However, she kept her satchel hung around her shoulder—knowing she couldn't trust anyone in this part of town.

"Shit—Nicky, is that you?"

The redhead moved her head in direction of the voice and chuckled when she saw Alex Vause sitting just a few stools away with another—unfamiliar—woman. "What're you doing here? God, we hadn't seen each other in years and now I've seen ya twice in the same month. How crazy is this shit?"

Alex nodded, sipping on her much-needed beer. A laugh escaped her at the comment. It was a very true realization, however. "Pretty damn crazy, yeah?" She pointed her hand at the woman sitting beside her, "This is my coworker, Poussey. It's been a long day; we needed a night out. Ya never know what kinda situation you'll arrive to as a paramedic."

"I've seen more of human anatomy today than I wanted to," the dark-skinned woman stated with a shudder. She sipped her mixed drink, craving the tipsy sensation the rum would give her. Some days required alcohol to get through.

Intrigued, Nicky quickly ordered herself a beer and turned to focus on the two paramedics. She arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "Elaborate, please. What kinda emergency was this?"

"We got a call from an elderly couple," Poussey started, shaking her head at the image that wouldn't leave her mind. She took another sip of her drink. "The two were apparently stuck…naked…the husband on top of the wife—please tell me ya get the picture? I don't think I can go on without puking. I still see them every time I shut my eyes."

It took a near five minutes for Nicky to catch her breath from laughing so hard. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle them, but couldn't control it. Tears lined her eyes from her hysterics. Oh, god, this was exactly what she needed to forget about the anger she felt. When her beer came, a moment later, she took it and gulped it blissfully.

"Oh, I get it. They got stuck having sex," she interpreted, the laughing fit starting all over again. "Wow. That's fucking hysterical—I don't even wanna know how they got stuck like that. Thanks for the entertainment…I just thought I was coming for a drink but this is even better."

Shaking her head, Alex narrowed her eyes at the redhead. Her arms crossed over her chest. "Glad  _you're_  enjoying it. We're over here scarred for life, thank you."

The intense laughing finally eased up. Nicky placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked. "Hey, come on—at least ya got an interesting story, now, to share with people. It's a good ice-breaker," she assured with a chuckle. At least it kept her mind off wanting to murder Annalisa, she thought. And, kept her interested enough to not go searching for cigarettes or any other more hardcore drugs.

" _Yeah_ ," Alex muttered, moving her head from one shoulder to the other. "Because that's what  _every_ stranger wants to hear when they meet someone." She waved a hand in the air, a gesture to move on with the conversation. She needed to hear about something else. Talking about work only made her want to drink more, she realized. "What brings you here, Nichols? Ya looked a little pissed when ya came marching in here."

"Let's just say I saved myself from not murdering my ex. I went to her mother's apartment and she wasn't there. So, here I am. Decided against trying to find her, I don't wanna end up in prison," Nicky answered, taking a rather large sip of her beer. How she desired to beat that blonde, two-faced, woman's face in. But she knew if she actually went through with the impulse, she'd end up locked up. And what good would she be for her new friend if she was behind bars?

Poussey popped her head up in interest. She liked a good ex-girlfriend story. "Yikes. She musta really fucked up, huh? Now, ya gotta entertain us with your story."

Holding up a finger, Nicky gulped down the rest of her beer and set it on the coaster in front of her. She shook her head. "I'm gonna need another beer before I say a word. She's not even the same person I thought I was dating. She fucked up royally," her teeth gritted in fury. She waved down one of the bartenders and ordered another drink.

When her second beer arrived, only a minute later, she immediately picked it up for a generous swig. "We started dating in high school and apparently she had a double life back then," she shook her head in disbelief. Still agitated over the fact that she wasn't aware of this. Had no inclination that her own girlfriend was also a cold-hearted bully to one of the sweetest girls in the entire school.

"Long story short, she spent a good amount of time tormenting a vulnerable young woman. And I had no fucking clue about this. So, I kinda wanna grab her by the neck and choke the life outta her."

"Shit," the short-haired brunette interjected. "That's a little twisted. Did ya know the person she was tormenting?"

Nicky nodded and that was why she felt so frustrated with herself. Had she just worked up the courage to strike-up a conversation with Lorna in high school, maybe she could have stopped the bullying. It ate at her that she never did. All she could do now was to help her work through everything. To be there to listen and hold her when she cried.

"It was a girl I lusted after all through high school. But I never talked to her. And now I'm kickin' myself for not. This coulda all been avoided if I just fucking said something to her."

Tilting her head ponderously, Alex looked at the redhead with curved eyebrows. "Are ya talking about Lorna?" The conversation she had with her, only a couple of weeks ago, immediately came barreling through her mind. It shocked her to hear how long this Annalisa seemed to have had this hate for the petite brunette.

"Yeah, unfortunately. I finally got her to open up to me earlier. I just—what she had done to her, it makes me so fucking angry. I could beat the fuck outta Lisa for what she did. She hurt Lorna so bad that the girl fucking…she uses a knife to cut the skin off her arms," she whispered the last part. The sight still left an unsettling sensation in Nicky's gut.

"She still does it now? That can't be healthy for her—she needs help," Poussey genuinely commented, concern showing on her face.

"Hmm," Alex muttered. Hearing such explained some of the results she found on the young girl's lab tests. She held a finger up. "No wonder her blood test showed anemia…that makes sense now. Poor girl. She needs a therapist or something. I've been called to too many emergencies where a person like her was cutting for relief but ended up cutting too deep and breaking a vessel. She needs to get help immediately, especially since she's got a little girl."

Nicky nodded. She sipped her beer and sighed. "Of course she needs help. But she's very resistive. I don't think a therapist will be able to get through to her. She needs someone who truly cares to listen to her."

"Sounds like  _you_  might be that person, Nicky. It's pretty obvious how much her pain affects you."

* * *

The warm weather came as a pleasant surprise on Friday morning when Lorna was getting ready to take her daughter out to the bus stop. She smiled brightly as she poured coffee into one of the many traveler's cups she had sitting in the cabinets. Sunshine and the chirping of birds always brought a tranquil sensation over the petite brunette. She adored it. It brought her back to a time when she was a young child spending time out in the garden with her own mother and nonna.

" _Come on_ , mommy," Ona's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I'm ready and I wanna get to school early so I can play on the playground with my friend." The little girl grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her along to the door.

Lorna laughed at her daughter's eagerness to go to school. She scooped her up and smothered her forehead in soft kisses before opening the door and carrying her down the hall to the elevator. "I wish I had your excitement over school when I was your age. It's precious, my Ona," she ran a hand lovingly through her locks of brown hair. Her smile never faltering.

The little girl giggled but squirmed in her mom's arms. "Put me down, mommy. I don't want people to see me being carried to the bus stop. It's embarrassing," she pointed out, though quickly wrapped her arms around Lorna's neck and squeezed tight. She gave a small kiss to her mother's cheek.

" _Embarrassing? What?_  You love when I hold ya, Ona. Ya can't be embarrassed yet, you're still just my baby," Lorna muttered, giving one last snug embrace to her seven-year-old before placing her down on the ground.

"I'm in second grade, mommy.  _I'm not_  a baby," Antonia reminded her with a smile that could break glass. She settled for grabbing her mother's hand and lead her to the elevator. She pressed the down button like the big girl she felt she was. "I like when ya hold me at home. But not where other people are…like my friends. That's not cool."

Not cool? Lorna scrunched her face. Was her little girl turning into a preteen already? She sighed. That was what it felt like. She kept her grip on Ona's tiny hand firm, not letting her go so quick. She wasn't ready for her little girl to go through this phase. It was too soon. She was just seven… _not eleven_. It wasn't the right time to be acting like a preteen.

"You're my baby, Antonia.  _Always._  I love you so much, sweetheart," she murmured softly. The ride down only took a matter of minutes. When the elevator door finally opened at the ground floor, she gently pulled her daughter along. They walked in silence through the hall to the doors that lead outside and over to where the bus stop was located right at the end of the street.

"Ya have your lunch in your bookbag right?" Lorna watched as the little girl nodded. She mentally checked that off the list. "And ya got the spare key to the apartment just in case of an emergency, right?" Another nod from her daughter. She smiled and bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead softly, and did the same to both of her rosy cheeks. "Good girl. Listen to your teacher and learn something. I love you, honey. Have a great day."

Antonia wrapped her arms around her mother's neck for a quick embrace before her bus arrived. "I love you, mommy. I promise I'll be good," she assured with a smile. She gave a kiss to Lorna's cheek right in time for the bus to come.

Lorna watched her daughter happily skip her way onto the bus with a smile. She waved at her once she was sitting down and staring out the window, then decided to go for a stroll through the city.

* * *

Walking down the block, after getting off her shift at the coffee shop, Annalisa rubbed her hands together when she saw Lorna walking in the other direction. She smirked. This was it, she told herself, it was finally time to put her plan in an action. She sped up in the same direction as the short brunette. Taking out a paper-bag she kept in her pocket just for this particular occasion. When she was standing only a few feet behind the woman, she slowed her walking. Not wanting the girl to hear her and risk losing everything she had planned.

As quietly as she could, Annalisa unfolded the bag and rapidly threw it over Lorna's head. She grabbed her arm and dragged her along back the way she came towards her car that sat out in front of the coffee shop. It took some maneuvering but with one arm securely around the squirming brunette's body, she used the other to open the back door of the car. She tossed Lorna in, slammed the door shut, and quickly jumped into the driver's side. Her foot slammed on the gas, once she was backed out of the spot, and she fled down the road. Barely stopping at red-lights or stop-signs. She vowed to get Lorna back to her place as fast possible to not risk her trying to escape.

* * *

All Lorna could feel when she awoke, after passing out in the car from the little air the bag covering her head provided, was disorientation and a painful lump in her throat. She was thankful, at least, that there wasn't anything over her head anymore. Her eyes squinted while peering around the room. She tried to make out where she was but couldn't recognize anything. The room was cold and cramped.

"Ya finally awake, little Morello?"

Lorna swallowed hard. She looked up to see Annalisa's hovering over her. Another woman, much older, stood behind her with some sort of object she couldn't make out in her hand. Anxiety started to flare. She thought of Antonia. Her little girl would be waiting for her after school…what was this about? What was Annalisa planning to do with her? The inquiries rapidly flooded her mind.

"Where am I? What-what are ya doing with me? I got a daughter to take care of…don't kill me,  _please._ "

Shaking her head, the blonde chuckled. She reached in her pocket for a pack of matches. "Hmm, maybe ya shoulda thought of that before stealing my girlfriend. Ya little slut. Wasn't Christopher enough for you? Ya hadda latch onto Nicky too, didn't ya?" She edged closer to the clearly frightened brunette and grabbed harshly at her cheek. Forcing her to look her in the eye.

The touch made her flinch. Why did she have to take that damn stroll? She sucked in a deep breath, trying to somehow calm her racing heart. "I-I didn't steal her. She-she's the one who told me to text her," her voice shook when she noticed the matches in the blonde woman's hand. She gulped. That couldn't be good. " _What…what_  are ya gonna do?"

Annalisa glanced at the matches and held them up, waving the box. "Oh, ya mean with this?" She smirked at the brunette's anguish. Ripping open the box, she took one out and let it touch the flesh of Lorna's cheek. Her mouth hovered a mere inch from her ear. "I'm gonna make ya the most undesirable person on this planet. I'm gonna use these matches to burn your vagina…you'll never be able to sleep with anyone again," she whispered vehemently.

The revelation worsened Lorna's fear. She tried to get up but quickly found that was impossible to do. Her hands and legs were both tied down to a bed. Her breathing grew heavier and deeper. She looked up at the blonde in horror. She knew the woman was twisted but this? To burn her private area? That was a whole new level of twisted. Almost satanic, it seemed.

Barb set the red gallon of gasoline down on the ground beside them and glanced down at the brunette. She gave her a smirk, "This'll teach ya to never mess with my daughter again. Huh? Annalisa don't take shit from no one. You girls have fun now," she chuckled, waving at them on her way out.

"No," the brunette cried, tears flowing along her cheeks. She shook her head profusely. " _No. Please, please don't burn me._  I'm sorry, I'm sorry that Nicky wanted to be friends with me. But please don't burn me," her voice pleaded, cracked with sobs.

Annalisa moved the gasoline container slowly over to her side. She took her time taking off the lid. Sniffed the content of it in delight. "Mmm, gas—who doesn't like that smell? It'll smell even better when it's burning your flesh," she smiled, placing the lid on the ground. Before she could go forth with the plan, she realized she had to de-pant Lorna's bottom half.

She made sure to take her time when pulling down both Lorna's pants and underwear, wanting to torture her for as long as possible with the waiting. Once they were off, she threw them across the room and picked up the bottle of gasoline. She brought it to her exposed private area and just held it above it. "Ya won't die but you will wish you were. It's gonna be fun, yeah?"

* * *

An unsettling sensation plagued Antonia when she got off the bus to see no one waiting for her. Thank God she remembered her spare key to the apartment, she thought. Maybe mommy was sleeping—those pain pills seemed to always make her tired, she observed. She pushed away the uneasiness and skipped her way inside up to their apartment. When she got to the door, she took her bookbag off and unzipped the front of it to retrieve the house key.

She put the key in the lock and turned until the door opened. " _Mommy_ ," she called out, walking inside and searching through the kitchen. No sign of her there, she noted. She continued her venture into the living room and still came up empty. Now her nerves were truly rising. She frisked her way down to her mother's bedroom and pushed open the door. She called out for her but no answer. The bed lay barren.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Something wasn't right. Her mother wouldn't just leave like this, she knew. Running out of the bedroom, she went back into the kitchen to grab the phone. Yet, stared at it blankly. She didn't know who to call. A white piece of paper caught her eye from the kitchen table. She walked over to pick it up and read Nicky's name on it. The number underneath it. Relieved, she dialed the number quickly into the phone.

"Hello?" She heard the familiar voice answer on the other line.

Pacing anxiously around the room, Antonia held the phone tightly against her ear. "Hi Nicky—it's, uh, Ona. I-Is my mommy with you? She didn't get me from the bus stop and-and she's not at home with me."

"No, she's not with me," Nicky uneasily responded. Without another thought, she took off to get in her car. Holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder. "Just stay put, yeah? I'm on my way over, kid. I'll help ya find her. Lock the door until I get there, okay?"

Antonia nodded and went to shut the door that still hung open. She bolted it lock like she watched her mother do many times before. A lump sat in the back of her throat. "Do ya think she was taken by the mean man again? Mommy said he's in jail…but what if he escaped and came back to-to get her?"

The fear in the little girl's voice broke Nicky's heart. Made her push on the gas pedal. "No, doll. I don't think that's who has your mommy," she murmured, hoping to calm her somehow. Though, she knew something was up. Lorna wouldn't just vanish like this. "Just try to relax, okay? I'm on my way right now. Get yourself a soda to drink and sit on the couch. I'll be there in five minutes, Ona."

* * *

The sound of persistent knocking came as a sense of relief. Antonia placed her can of pop on the end-table and ran to open the door. She collapsed herself into Nicky's arms within seconds. Not even realizing the person standing beside her. "I want my mommy," she sniffled, wrapping her arms deathly tight around the redhead's neck.

"We're gonna find her, kid. I think I have a pretty good idea where she might be," Nicky assured her, wrapping her arms protectively around the little girl's small body. A little girl who showed her fate, she realized. She gave a comforting kiss over her forehead and ruffled her hair softly. "I don't think it's safe for you to come with me because this person who I'm pretty sure took her is not a very nice girl and I don't want you to get hurt, Ona. I don't think your mommy does either. So, your aunt Franny's gonna stay with you while I go find her. I promise I'll call as soon as I get her, okay?"

Ona sniffed a couple of times, but nodded her head slowly against Nicky's neck. She gave her one last squeeze before being put down on the floor. "Thank you, Nicky. I don't want you or mommy to get hurt either," she said, her bottom lip trembling.

Holding in her own tears, Nicky patted her head softly. Eyes gazing compassionately down into the tiny brunette's. "I'll do my best to make sure your mommy's okay, doll. Ya know what'll help her? If you have some dinner with your aunt and maybe draw her a pretty picture. Sound like a good plan, kid?"

The little girl reluctantly nodded and solemnly walked away to sit at the small wooden table.

Franny watched her niece's actions with a heavy heart. She sighed and looked over at the redhead. "I'm glad you've become a friend to my sister. She's been lonely for a while now. I don't know what kinda mess she's gotten into but I hope you're able to help her. Thank you."

* * *

The sensation was too much. Lorna screamed out in agony. The pain in her genitals was a thousand times worse than having her chest stabbed and left open. It was a whole new level of pain. A pain she never experienced before. It throbbed, scorched from the intense heat. It felt like her skin was about to fall off, that the matches and gasoline burnt her skin to a crisp down there. She couldn't move.

There was faint yelling coming from somewhere, she noticed. Maybe someone else was there. Maybe she was going to be rescued. Oh, she could only hope that was the case. She screamed louder, hoping to somehow gain their attention. It wasn't long before harsh footsteps could be heard clacking against the hard floor. She took in a breath. The thought that someone else was there quickly vanished. It was too good to be true, she knew.

When the door slowly creaked open and she heard a visible gasp, Lorna was shocked to find that it wasn't Annalisa or Barb coming back to torture her some more. She timidly turned her head towards the sound, relieved when her eyes met with Nicky's. "Hel-help me," her voice croaked out, tears streaming along her red cheeks.

Nicky felt sick at the sight in front of her. She swallowed uneasily. How could she have been with a person who would also take the time to methodically plan a brutal torture like this? She flinched at the thought. Coming back to reality, she quickly made her way to Lorna's side and wrapped her arms securely around her head. Hugging it tight against her chest. Smothering the top of it in soft kisses. "That's why I'm here, Lorna," she murmured warmly, cradling her head for several minutes. Needing to give her some affection before getting to work at untying her.

"I called your personal paramedic to come transport ya to the hospital. You're already uncomfortable as it is…no use being surrounded by strangers like that, yeah?"

She hurriedly unrestrained her from the bed and scooped her up into her arms. She held her tight against her own body while taking her jacket off and wrapping it around Lorna's bare lower half. Tears poured from her eyes at that point. To see what had been done to the poor woman. What her own ex-girlfriend had done to her. "I'm so, so, sorry," she whispered, nuzzling her chin tenderly atop of her head. "I'm here now, baby. You're safe, I'll take care a you."

With Lorna cradled protectively in her arms, Nicky cautiously carried her out of the bedroom and down the hall towards the kitchen. She ignored both women, who were now being detained by officers, and made a v-line straight through the door. She caught sight of the ambulance sitting on the curb, right outside, and ran to it. Her arms didn't move from Lorna's body once. Not until she saw Alex standing in the back, waiting for them. With reluctance, she handed the broken brunette to the paramedic.

Alex embraced the woman quickly before placing her on the gurney and gently fastening her to it. Her eyes searched the injuries with both fury and heartache. She turned to look at Nicky and pointed to the small bench on the right of the gurney. "Sit there. I think it's best ya stay to help keep her calm, yeah?"

Her attention focused back on Lorna. She cupped a hand soothingly around her cheek, staring down at her with sympathy. "Can I have a look at where you're hurt? I need to tell the hospital where the burns are, sweetie. I'm so sorry…I know this is uncomfortable, I know. But I gotta put some cream on ya to keep it from getting any worse."

Nicky took that as her cue to stand by Lorna's side. She reached down to cradle her arms lovingly around her head. Eyes peering compassionately into frightened ones. "It's gonna be okay. Alex won't hurt it. She just needs to see how bad it is, okay? Don't be scared, baby. You're safe here—you're safe," she soothed, combing a finger softly through her hair.

"Anna-Annalisa," the brunette sniffled, looking down in shame of herself. The words that woman told her echoed through her mind. "She, she burnt my-my vagina… she-she—"

"Shh," Alex interjected softly. "You don't have to finish, sweetie. We get it. She hurt ya in the worst way. I'm so sorry." Nausea tore through her body at hearing such a thing. She couldn't fathom how another human being could do something so evil—so satanic to another. It made her skin crawl, her heart ache. She very gently placed her hands on the jacket that covered Lorna's bare legs. "I'm gonna have a look, Lorna. I promise I won't touch anything, precious girl. I just needa check to make sure nothing's infected."

It boiled the rage that already simmer in Nicky's veins. She bit the side of her mouth to keep it inside. She needed to be calm, to soothe and comfort her best friend, right now. "You're safe with us. We'll get ya all cleaned up and taken care of. And fucking Annalisa is on her way to prison, don't you worry. She'll never be able to torment you again, sweet girl."

The black-haired paramedic very tenderly removed the jacket from the patient's bottom half and grew unsettled at the brutal burn marks that covered her pale upper thighs and into her genital. She bit her bottom lip to keep her emotions in check. "These definitely don't look good, Lorna. I'm gonna have to put some disinfecting medicine on them. It's gonna hurt real bad but it needs to be done, sweetie. Just stay calm and squeeze Nicky's hand, yeah?"

"Can-can ya give me pain medicine instead? The pain—it's unbearable," Lorna sobbed, gripping desperately on Nicky's arm.

Nicky kissed her head lovingly, brushing her cheeks with tender finger. She knew the brunette must have been in agony to actually ask for medication. And, that only pulled on her heart even more.

"Aw, Lorna," Alex soothed, her eyes filled with nothing but compassion. She swallowed thickly while reaching for an IV-starter from the medical bag she always had on-hand. "I'll put an IV in and give ya a dose of morphine through there. That way it'll probably put ya to sleep so ya don't have to feel the disinfectant on your burns. That work for ya?"

Lorna nodded eagerly. Anything to get rid of the agonizing burning sensation that plagued through her entire bottom half.

It took only a few minutes for Alex to get the IV hooked up through a vein in Lorna's arm. She took out a syringe and a tiny bottle of morphine that was stored in the ambulance's medicine cabinet. She filled the syringe with the proper dosage of the medication, carefully carrying it back over to Lorna. With one hand holding her arm, she used the other to gradually administer the liquid in the IV line.

Within a matter of seconds, Lorna could feel the effects of the morphine. Her eyes grew heavy; she felt her entire body become relaxed. A great relief from the overwhelming pain. She glanced up at Nicky, who stood over her softly running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm here, Lorna. I'm not leaving you," she huskily assured, bending down to brush a kiss over her forehead's flesh. "Close you eyes, you look like you're ready to pass out. It's okay, baby…I promise I'll be right beside when ya wake up."

The brunette could hardly think anymore with the strong dose of medication running through her veins. She shut her eyes and was soon overcome by a much-needed sleep.

Nicky sighed, running a finger back and forth around the petite brunette's forehead. She looked over at Alex, who was readying her supplies to clean out the burns. "Can you believe there's people out there who are capable of this kind of devilish torture?"

Putting on a fresh pair of gloves, Alex nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, there are. It's a shame that someone could do this to Lorna. She's one of the sweetest people I've ever met…I don't understand it," she shrugged, glancing back with sorrow in her orbs. "You'll help her through this, though. It's beyond apparent the love you have for her. She needs you in her life. That must be why it was you who found her daughter, yeah?"

"I need her just as much. It  _was fate_  that I found her."

* * *

The next time Lorna awoke was hooked up to a handful of machines in a sterile hospital room. She moved her head to get a look around at her surroundings and felt a warmth rush through when her eyes landed on Nicky. Her arms instinctively opened, she craved the security of the older woman's arms. She spent so many years without having anyone to hold her that she forgot how much she missed such a sensation until now.

Nicky happily obliged and snaked her arms lovingly around the brunette's head. Letting it settle against her chest. She shut her eyes momentarily, enjoying having Lorna cradled against her. Something she always dreamt of doing when the pair were back in high school. She sighed, thankful that she was in her life again. That she had the chance to form an unbreakable bond with Lorna, and even that little girl of hers. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with the two of them. Taking care of them and seeing their identical smiles.

"Told ya I'd be here when ya woke up, yeah? How're ya feeling? I hope not in too much pain—they gave ya another dose of morphine in the emergency room," the redhead informed her. She pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

Lorna wrapped her arms around her neck and shut her eyes in content. "I just feel numb," she murmured, voice slightly groggy from all the drugs that pumped through her veins. "Nicky?"

Resting her chin over her head of brown waves, Nicky peered down at her with soft eyes. Her fingers brushed down along both of her arms. "Yeah, baby?"

"Do you—do ya think I'm undesirable?"

The question formed a small lump in her throat to hear. Nicky rapidly shook her head and maneuvered herself carefully so that she was lying right beside Lorna. She rested her forehead tenderly over the brunette's and looked into her eyes with an overwhelming amount of love for her. "Of course not, Lorna," she hummed, breath soft over faintly quivering lips. With a frown, she placed a finger onto the trembling lip and caressed it delicately. "I think you're gorgeous…I always have, kid. Don't cry, baby…please, you're very desirable to me. Is-is that what Annalisa told ya? Did she fucking burn ya to make ya think I wouldn't want you?"

Lorna nodded through her sobs.

Rage bubbled beneath her skin. Nicky cuddled the distraught brunette closer to her own body. Stroking hands softly up and down her back. "You're not any less perfect just because that bitch burnt you, ya hear me? I love you no matter what—"

"You-you l-love me?"

"I do love you. I've loved you since the day I first saw you. And this—the past month has only made my love for you stronger," Nicky softly admitted, inching closer to give a delicate peck over Lorna's still quivering lips. "You're a beautiful human being, Lorna. You're a wonderful mother, a sweet person, and ya make me wanna be a better person, doll. I've been cutting back on cigarettes now that I'm spending more and more time with you and your daughter. I think it's a sign that the two of us need each other, yeah?"

Tears flooded her eyes. Lorna threw her arms around Nicky's neck and hid her face in its crook. She nodded her head knowingly. Having Nicky in her life made her feel worthy for once in her life. Made her feel that maybe one day she wouldn't need to resort to sticking a knife through her skin. That she was finally good enough for someone to love her. Someone other than her seven-year-old.

"I-I know I don't ever want to go back to a life without you, Nicky," she finally croaked out. Her arms tight around her neck. "I-I need you. Ona needs you."

Holding her head to her chest, Nicky kissed the top of it and nodded. "I know you do, baby. You need someone who will show you your true worth," she murmured, resting her head against the brunette's. She picked up the blanket and tucked it around the two of them. "I'll be here for you and that sweet little girl. I love you so much, Lorna. I'd like to call ya my girlfriend, how's that sound?"

Lorna nodded against her and pecked a soft kiss to her heart. "I think that sounds perfect. Do-do ya wanna move into my place?"

"Ah, eager, huh?" The redhead lightly teased with a loving smile on her face. She gave another kiss to the top of her head. "Of course. That way I can be there to take care a you. Sometimes even mommies need to be held and loved, don't ya think? You need to take care a yourself sometimes, baby. I can help ya with a lotta things ya haven't worked through."

"I-I know. It's hard to with being a single mom. But having you, now, makes me wanna get better. I don't wanna hurt myself anymore…I just wanna be normal and happy."

Nicky pulled her closer and pecked her cheek. "I'm happy to hear that. I'll be here for you.  _Always._  And for Ona.  _You both_  have a special place in my heart, baby."

The two lay in silence, holding onto one another as if their lives depended on it, when the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Lorna looked up and felt her heart feel full to see Ona running over to the side of her bed. She wiped at her tears, putting on a soft smile for her little girl. The little girl who made each and every day worth living, she knew. "Come up here, Ona. I know ya only like when I hold ya at home but I could use some cuddles right now. Can ya make an exception, my love?"

Ona didn't even hesitate; she jumped on the bed and threw her arms tight around her mother's body. She laid her head on her mother's soothingly-rising chest and stared up at her with sad eyes. "I love you, mommy. I-I'm sorry you got hurt. Are-are you gonna be okay?"

Lorna nodded and pressed a soft kiss to her head. "I'll be okay. Don't worry, sweetheart. I have two of the most loving people right here to help me," she whispered, nuzzling closer to Nicky while wrapping her daughter protectively in her own arms. Nothing felt more right than this moment right then. She truly did have the two best people in her life. The ones who really would be the key to her healing from all of this.

Seeing the interaction between the mother and daughter only confirmed how much Nicky adored them. How she vowed to do anything and everything to protect them for the rest of their lives. She tightened her hold on Lorna and gave a loving kiss to her head. "I love you. I'm gonna take care of the both of you, I promise. You'll always be safe and loved with me, Lorna baby."


End file.
